Once in A Lifetime
by XtremeMNCowgirl
Summary: Once in a lifetime that certain someone comes along. It may your perfect someone...but with a kwirk. John is ready and looking for love...but when he thinks he's found it with someone who is perfect...except she's deaf. Will that stop him? **COMPLETED**
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Here it is as promised. A story with John as the main character. Please read and review! And remember, I do not own John…although that would sure make life interesting. Again, please read and review!**

John had flown into Los Angeles. He hadn't been to his California townhome in quite awhile. He usually only used this house when he had to be in California for various filming, or if there was a West coast run. It was faster than flying all the way back to Florida, where his main residence was.

As he pulled into the driveway, there was a U-Haul half blocking the street. Someone was finally moving into the vacant townhome across the street.

John parked and headed inside. Then he peeked out the window.

There was a beautiful brunette wearing short, denim cut-offs with a little, red tank-top. She had her wavy, brown hair pulled into a messy bun and she was wearing large, black sunglasses. She had a very cute smile for whoever was inside the U-Haul and was laughing a lot.

"Hello gorgeous." John said quietly. She was hot. And John wanted to get to know her better.

John made a quick grocery list of things he needed and then jotted down the ingredients for his mom's spaghetti and meatballs. He figured he'd make up a batch and bring it over as a "Welcome to the neighborhood" meal.

He headed off to the store. By the time he came back home, the U-Haul was gone. The driveway was completely empty.

John made a mental note that he'd be gone all day tomorrow filming, so the meal would have to wait another day.

The next morning, John was pulling out of his driveway to head to the set when he happened to spot someone jogging. "It was 5:30am, who would be out jogging this early?" He pondered. He knew the neighbors and none of them would be.

As John drove, he faced the jogger. It looked like the girl across the street. John smiled and waved.

The girl's face lit up. Her eyes were still masked by the large, black sunglasses, but she had such a great smile. She waved back and mouthed "hi".

John smiled to himself and continued on his way, but now he had something to smile about. In his wallet was a phone number to his buddy Randy's wife's best friend's friend in Florida, but right now he wanted to focus on the mystery girl.

Melody got home and walked in. She headed inside and went right for the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and continued into the shower. She was very excited that one of her neighbors had smiled and waved at her. "Maybe moving here for a little while from New York wasn't such a bad idea." She thought to herself.

John arrived home late that night, and there were a few lights on inside her house, but he knew it was far too late to make a full meal and bring it over. It would just have to wait till tomorrow.

The next morning, John awoke and looked out his window. There was his new, beautiful neighbor hanging up flower baskets and planting in the window boxes.

John took care of a few business calls he had to make and ran a few errands. Once he got back home, he got to work in the kitchen.

He had fixed up a batch of his mom's spaghetti and meatballs like he planned. But while he was out, he also picked up a loaf of garlic bread and a bottle of red wine.

John looked out the window and saw that the garage door was now open and a very sweet, black Ford Mustang was parked inside and was up on ramps.

John packed everything up and and took a deep breath. He walked outside and crossed the street. He was definitely nervous.

As he walked up her driveway, he could hear the loud music playing in the garage. The closer he got, he was able to see that there was also a nice Triumph motorcycle parked in the garage as well. "Shit…she's married." He thought to himself.

Suddenly the door leading into the house from the garage opened and out stepped a very eccentric-looking older man.

The man was wearing all black clothes and black leather gloves, along with a black leather jacket…even though it was in the eighties and a bit muggy out. He had long, frizzy, gray hair and aviator sunglasses on. "Can I help you?" The man asked gruffly.

John tried hard not to looked shocked, this was NOT the pretty girl he had a crush on. "Hi, I happened to notice that you're new to the neighborhood so I thought I'd bring over a spaghetti dinner to welcome you."

"Thanks, that's thoughtful of you. But I didn't move in, my daughter did. She's under the car." The man said as he pointed.

"There's someone under there?" John replied.

"Yeah, don't mind her, she's deaf." The man said shaking his head as he knocked on the car.

Suddenly a dolly rolled out from under the car revealing his brunette mystery woman. This time she didn't have sunglasses on. She had big, beautiful, captivating brown eyes with long, flowing eyelashes. She had oil and grease smudges all over, but that didn't hide her beautiful skin. When she smiled, it revealed her dimples. She was wearing little denim cutoffs again, and this time a black tank-top. She looked up at her dad first, then over at the very handsome man who had waved to her a couple mornings ago. "Oh my, I'm such a mess. I'm so sorry." She said as she stood up.

Melody quickly grabbed a rag and wiped off her hands, then reached out to John, "Hi, I'm Melody."

John smiled, "Nice to meet you Melody, I'm John. I live across the street sometimes."

Melody looked over him, she loved his dimples and his beautiful eyes. "It's very nice to meet you. You'll have to excuse me, I was giving her an oil change and a new air filter after driving here."

As he spoke, she studied his mouth very intently. "Where did you drive here from?" He asked.

"New York City. I thought I'd take the scenic route." She said with a smile.

"No kidding! Well, to welcome you to the neighborhood, I made up a batch of my mom's spaghetti and meatballs." John said as he handed it over to her.

"Aww…that's really sweet, thank you!" She exclaimed. "Did you get the chance to meet my father?" She asked as she headed inside the house.

The man cleared his throat and answered before John could. "Not officially." He held out his hand, "I'm Jim."

"Hi Jim, I'm John. It's nice to meet you as well." John replied as he shook his gloved hand.

Melody came back outside and looked over at her dad, "Are you going to stick around?"

Jim shook his head no, "Nope, I'm heading over to Meat's to work out the details. I won't be back till late, I want to make the most out of my time today and tomorrow before my flight."

Melody looked back at John, "Would you like to have dinner with me? You made more than plenty."

John smiled, "Sure, if you're sure you wouldn't mind the company."

Melody laughed, "It'll be nice. Then I won't look like a dirtball. How about 5:30pm?"

"Sounds great. I'll see you then." John replied. He turned to Jim, "It was very nice to meet you."

"You too." Jim said as he got on his bike.

John headed back to his house. As he walked away, Melody looked over at her dad and signed "Wow, he's hot. Do you think he's single?"

Jim laughed, "Maybe, He did bring wine. Don't do anything stupid. Be safe." He signed back to her.

"Dad, we're from New York, I think I have careful down." Melody replied in sign.

"Alright, I'm leaving. No sleepovers." Jimmy replied out loud.

Melody burst into laughter, "Wow dad. Tell Uncle Meat I said hi and I'll see him tomorrow."

Jim backed out of the garage and took off.

Melody quickly slid back under the car and finished. Then she bounced inside for a shower. "Tonight could be fun." She thought to herself.

John returned to his house with a smile on his face. His mystery woman's name was Melody and she was absolutely beautiful. She even worked on cars, could she get anymore perfect? She had a very odd father, but hey, that's ok. She was perfect. He couldn't wait to get to know her better. And those cutoffs she wore were enough to drive him crazy.

He thought about her laughter and their brief conversation. She was definitely excitable. One minute she spoke soft and the next she was bursting with excitement.

The time passed quickly. Melody got out of the shower and picked out a pair of nice jeans and a red v-neck sweater. She used some product to tame her wild hair a bit and wrapped it in extra large rollers so it would fall nicely in waves around her shoulders. She put on some light make-up. Melody made her eyes a little smoky and applied a pretty red lip gloss. She slipped on some black sandals that had a bit of a heel to them since he was so much taller than she was. She slipped on her black, wire-rim glasses.

A flashing light up in the corner of the room caught her eye, the doorbell was ringing. He was here. She quickly ran her hand through her hair and shook it a bit. She walked down the stairs and answered the door.

"Hi John! I hope you're hungry." Melody replied with a smile.

"Hi Melody, I sure am. It smells great in here." John said with a big smile.

"Thanks, I thought I'd heat up the bread too." Melody said. She stood there for a moment to make sure that he wasn't going to say anything else. "Well c'mon in. I'll give you a little tour, but please forgive the mess. I'm still not fully unpacked."

John answered, but she didn't fully catch what he had said. The couple words she did pick up made it seem as if he made a comment about being unpacked, so she laughed carefully.

She turned to walk him around. When she turned to tell him this was the dining room she noticed he had just finished saying something. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Melody said sheepishly. No matter how hard she tried to fit in, she knew she never would. And she also knew that she was about to turn her fun night into a big, nightmare.

"I was asking what the lights in the corner of the rooms are for." John repeated as he pointed to her doorbell lights.

"Oh, those. Well, they light up when the doorbell goes off."

"Wow, I've never heard of that before. That would be good if you're engrossed in your iPod and not paying attention." John said with a laugh.

"This is true. I use them because I'm deaf and I can't hear the doorbell ring." Melody responded cautiously.

John looked over at her, "What?"

Melody took a deep breath, "John, I'm deaf."

They both just stood there looking at each other for a minute. Suddenly Melody jumped, her watch was vibrating. It was time to take the bread out of the oven. "Dinner's ready." She said quietly as she turned to walk into the kitchen.

Melody mentally kicked her own butt the walk to the kitchen. She had rehearsed how she was planning on telling him in her head a hundred times, it wasn't like that.

John, not thinking, began to talk to her on the walk to the kitchen, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to seem so shocked." He said to her back. Her silence reminded him of what she just told him.

"Go ahead and sit down, I'll bring everything out. Do you like butter or margarine?" She offered.

"Margarine please." He said.

She returned with the bottle of wine and the two wine glasses first. She smiled as she poured them both a glass. Then she came back with the spaghetti and the bread.

John smiled across the table at her. "Can I ask you a question without crossing my boundaries?"

"Of course, ask away." She replied as she dished him up.

"Why is it that you talk so clear and you don't sign?" John asked.

Melody grinned wickedly and signed back her response. "Because if I signed to you then you wouldn't understand what I was saying."

His blank stare made her laugh, "I signed because then you wouldn't understand what I was saying. And I talk clearly because I was in speech therapy for many, many years and I wasn't always deaf. I started off just hard-of-hearing and it's just gotten worse."

"Wow. Ok. Well, in that case." John said. Then he pointed to his chest and fingerspelled "J-O-H-N."

Melody grinned and clapped.

"That's all I've got for ya, a kid taught me awhile ago." John said holding up his glass. "Welcome to the neighborhood Melody. I look forward to getting to know you better."

Melody smiled, "Thank you John, I look forward to getting to know you better too." They clinked glasses and took a drink.

"Ok, so speech therapy helped you to talk to well?" John asked.

Melody nodded, "Yes, basically I was raised hearing even though I was always going deaf. My childhood is a bit complicated, and maybe one day I'll enlighten you. But, for now, let's just say that my dad was NOT raising a deaf daughter. It took a long time for his acceptance of my condition."

"Why is that? Just denial?" He asked confused.

"Well, my dad is a songwriter and composer and music is his life. I was raised in music so music was my life too. From singing, to playing piano and guitar to dancing, I was fully submersed in it. And he knew how to make me happy with it. But as I lost my hearing, he didn't want that to mean that I would lose my music too. I don't know if you noticed or not, but my dad isn't exactly the most normal individual you encounter on a daily basis. He never has been, never will be. But with music we were on the same page." Melody recounted. "And he refused to learn sign language for a very long time. Everyone I was around all could hear and speak. He originally didn't even want me learning how, but as my hearing got worse, he realized I'd have to."

"So do you normally talk or sign?" John asked.

"Both. It depends on who I'm around. I work with all hearing people, I was raised with hearing people, I went to regular schools, my dad refused to send me to a deaf school because of the lack of the arts. But I have a lot of deaf friends now because of college. I work my ass off to lip read, and it's exhausting. But I do it so I can blend in. But because I could hear and now I can't, and with my involvement in music, I'm not deaf enough for the deaf community and because I'm deaf I'm not hearing enough for everyone else." Melody replied honestly. She didn't want to go into too many details because she was sure that he wouldn't be around for long and because her dad was famous she didn't like to divulge.

"Wow. That's crazy. No one is willing to accept you because you're different and unique. They ought to feel blessed that they've met you." John replied. "May I ask who your dad is? Maybe I've heard of him. I'm really into music also."

"Jim Steinman. He's written for Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler and Celine Dion and Air Supply and many others. He's worked on and off Broadway also." Melody confessed.

"That's impressive. I have to be honest, I haven't heard of him, but my buddy is a HUGE Meat Loaf fan." John replied with a smile. "So, we got that out of the way. Now tell me about you."

Melody smiled with a surprised look on her face. But was he still interested in getting to know her for real, or out of sympathy? Oh well, she decided she was going to let her guard down and just have a good time tonight…even if she never heard from him again.

"Let's see…about me. Well, I'm turning thirty soon. I'm here to work on a tv show for a little while and because I'm starring in a cover act for a deaf variety club in Los Angeles. I grew up all over, but mainly on the East coast. I went between New York City, Upstate New York and Connecticut. I spent summers over in England sometimes. I love cars, I love the outdoors, I like to work out, I like movies and concerts. I also like tv shows and photography. I like to go dancing and go to karaoke. I've done a little modeling, but nothing I would ever lay claim to. And I volunteer at the children's hospital when I can." Melody replied. "What about you?"

"Well, I mainly live in Florida, but I spend a fair amount of time here. I'm a professional wrestler so I'm on the road a lot. I've also been in a few movies and I have a rap cd out also. I grew up in West Newbury, Massachusetts. I've worked with Make-A-Wish, and I like the same things as you do honestly." John said with a laugh. He couldn't believe how perfect she was, she was everything he had ever hoped for in a woman….except she was deaf. "If you like cars, I have a few that would probably knock your socks off. Back home in Florida."

"Really? I LOVE cars. I could go to car shows every weekend and never get bored. It drives my dad nuts." Melody said with a laugh.

They ate for a bit, and they talked about their interests. John could tell what Melody meant by it was work to read lips, he could tell when she couldn't keep up. John looked across the table at her, "So if someone was to spend a lot of time with you, would it be easier if they signed?" 

"Kind of. The more time I spend with someone, the more I get used to how they talk and how their mouth forms words. But honestly, yeah it is a little easier, but I'm usually around hearing people that don't sign so I'm used to it." Melody responded cautiously. It killed her that the two of them had so much in common, but with her being deaf, he was probably ready to head for the hills.

"So I know you fix cars and you like cars, but do you drive?" John asked.

Melody laughed and nodded, "Yup, cars, trucks and motorcycles."

"Oooh, you're well-versed in transportation aren't you?" John laughed. "After dinner, are you up for an adventure?"

Melody leaned in and winked at John, "I'm always up for an adventure."

John took a breath, man she was sexy. "Ok, we're going to take the crotch rocket out for a joyride when we're done."

Melody grinned happily, "Ok, just remember I can't hear you so I won't be able to talk to you while we're on the bike because I'll be behind you."

"Got it."

They finished up dinner and Melody cleared the plates. John helped her load the dishwasher. Then she grabbed her black leather jacket and put her wallet in the inside pocket of the jacket. She changed into her black motorcycle boots. Just to be a shit she signed "Ok, I'm ready" to John.

John laughed, "If that means you're ready, then I say let's go."

And they headed across the street to his garage.

John entered his code and the garage opened and revealed a neon green and orange Kawasaki Ninja and a 2007 Dodge Charger SR8 Super Bee.

"Wow! You've got a Super Bee! I love these!" Melody exclaimed.

"Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet." John said to her. He grabbed a helmet off the shelf for her and grabbed one for him.

The clouds were rolling in, and definitely looked like they were in for a storm, but the two were too busy getting ready to go on their adventure to even think to look at the sky.

John climbed on and Melody climbed on right behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "Ok, I'm ready."

"Alright, hold on tight." John said as he revved the engine. He totally spaced that she couldn't hear him. Then they peeled out and headed off for the bluffs. He was going to show her the scenic places that they could go hiking sometime. He still liked her. Deaf or not, there was just something about her that he couldn't shake.

She held on tight and looked around. She was having a great time. It was so beautiful and there were many areas she would love to photograph.

John drove her up to a tall, rocky, steep bluff. They parked the bike and they walked the walking path. He decided to be brave and he reached out and took her hand.

Melody looked over at him and smiled, "This area is so beautiful! I want to come back sometime with my camera and take pictures, especially during sunrise and sunset."

John nodded, "I bet you'd get some really sweet pictures."

The ride over to the bluffs had been filled with some low, deep rumbles of thunder. But John was too caught up with everything to even give it a second thought.

As Melody and John were there standing on the bluff staring into each others' eyes with the intensity of the volatile atmosphere around them, a very LOUD crack of lightning hit and thunder rolled. Melody wanted to kiss John so bad. There was just something very kissable about him, but she didn't want to move too fast, plus she didn't know where his head was at.

Even the crack of lightning made Melody jump. She nervously looked up at the sky. "I think the storm is here." She said to John.

John squeezed her hand, he looked at the sky, and the color of the clouds were black with a tint of green. The wind had all but stopped. It was the calm before the storm. "There's gonna be a helluva storm. God, I wish we were back. We're going to be stuck in it." He looked into her eyes, "We should have been home by now."

Melody didn't mean to but she burst into laughter.

John looked at her like she was crazy, "Why are you laughing? I'm serious, this storm is going to be ugly." He asked as the lightning seized the sky.

Melody bit her bottom lip embarrassed. But the look was driving John wild. It was a very sexy look on her. "Well, because my dad wrote a song lyric that goes like that. And it's funny because you've never even heard of him. You guys are in sync."

John looked at her funny and laughed. "You make me smile."

Melody squeezed his hand, "Well, I guess we should saddle up and ride home then."

John nodded. They were looking into each others' eyes and searching deep for something…neither knew for what. But they were searching. Would it be wise to fall for one another? Could the hearing vs. non-hearing worlds collide and succeed?

Slowly the two began to lean into each other. The moment had returned. Just as their lips were about to connect the sky opened up and the rain poured down upon them.

Melody shrieked and John wrapped his arms around her.

Melody grinned wickedly, "So, are you gonna kiss me or not?"

John chuckled and happily obliged her. The two stood there getting soaked in the rain but there they shared their first kiss. It felt so good and so right….yet so confusing all at the same time.

**What will happen next? Will they decide to pursue something? Or will John cut his loss and try the phone number in his wallet? What is Melody's father going to think? There's a whole lot of mystery surrounding Melody, will she open up to John? Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**YAY! THANK YOU! I'm so glad you guys are giving this story a chance! I've never written a deaf character before, so please be patient! Don't be afraid to give feedback, please read and review! ((HUGS)) to my reviewers!**

John got inside his house and quickly stripped out his wet clothes. As he was changing, his phone rang. He looked at the caller id and saw it was one of his close friends Dave. "Hello?" He answered.

"Dude! What's up? I hear you're in Cali!" His friend replied.

"Yeah, only for another day or so. But I may have found a reason to start coming back here more often." John said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Oooh...did John-boy meet someone?"

John couldn't help but smile, "Yeah I did. She seems pretty cool. We had dinner, then I got us trapped in a rainstorm on the back of my Kawasaki. But I'm about to go back over there to get to know a little bit more about her."

"Is she down-to-Earth? Not a diva like Liz?" His buddy teased.

"Yeah, she even changes her own oil. But there is one thing that I guess I'm not sure what to think about." John confessed.

"What's that?"

"Well...she's deaf." John replied as he looked for the perfect bottle of wine.

"What? Did you just say she's deaf? Are you that frickin' desperate that now you're seeking a deaf chick? Dude...you're John fuckin' Cena...you can get any chick you want, and you're trying to mack on a deaf one? Are you crazy?"

John interrupted his friend as he started to make fun of the way most deaf people talk. "Not ok dude...not ok. First off, you've never met her, don't hate on her like that. Second, I'm not desperate, and I don't give a shit who I am. What matters is that she doesn't care who I am. To her I'm just John across the street and hopefully the man she'll go out on a date with tomorrow night. I've gotta go." And John hung up, he was so pissed that his friend would react like that.

But on his way across the street it got him thinking...was that how everyone was going to react? Was it really so bad that he was considering dating her? Was this going to be more work than he was thinking? To him, dating a deaf girl was like being in an inter-racial relationship, of course there would be differences and negative people but it was the love that truly mattered.

John shook his head as he rang her doorbell, he didn't want to be a cranky-ass when he was there.

Melody opened the door and smiled. John was standing there in a pair of baggy sweats and a baggy football jersey. She didn't feel so bad getting comfy herself.

John smiled, Melody had her hair pulled back in a messy bun again with random curls sticking out. She had on a pair of fleece Playboy bunny pajama pants and a matching spaghetti-strapped cami with a Janet Jackson crew zip-up hoodie over it. "Hi." He said with a wave. He held up the bottle of wine, "I didn't forget."

Melody laughed, "C'mon in. I'll get the glasses."

John followed her in and walked with her to the kitchen. "So, where did you get your hoodie?"

Melody looked down, "Oh, this one? I was on tour with her a couple years ago. I was a dancer."

"You were a dancer for Janet?" John exclaimed.

Melody smiled and nodded, "Yup, sure was. I even have a few videos and you can find me on You Tube." She set the glasses in front of him.

John popped the cork and filled their glasses. He raised his to hers, "To getting to know each other better."

She smiled and linked them, "To getting to know each other better."

They both took a drink and she led him into the den. That's where her tv was.

John looked over at Melody, "So, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"How hard is it reading lips all the time?"

Melody got up and went and got her iPod. She had very nice headphones plugged into it. They looked like professional dj headphones. She opened them up and put them on John's ears. She turned up the volume. When she was sure he wouldn't be able to hear her, she began to talk to him with only moving her lips.

"Did you say you need to find a place with soy nuts?" John asked confused.

Melody burst out laughing and took the headphones off of him, "I said where can I go to find good donuts?"

"Wow, it isn't easy. I read lips in the ring, but it is hard work. No wonder why you prefer to sign." John replied as he took another drink of his wine.

"Can I confess something to you?" Melody said as she also took another drink.

"What's that?"

"If I wear my hearing aids, in the right conditions, I can hear a little bit. It's not much, and it's pretty distorted because of the hearing aids, but I can hear your voie if we sit close enough with not a lot of background noise." She said with a smile.

"Really? You can hear me?" John said happily.

Melody nodded, "I can...faintly. But my real confession is I'm not a big wine drinker. I'm much more of a beer and liquor girl."

John grinned, "You are my kinda girl."

"Tell me about you and your family please." Melody said as he sat on the couch next to John.

He turned to face her, "Well, I'm one of 5 kids...all boys. I'm the second oldest. There's Dan, Sean, Matt and Steve."

"Wow, your mom had her hands full." Melody said surprised.

"You can't even begin to know just how true that is." He laughed. "My parents are John Sr. and Carol. I grew up in West Newbury, Massuchussets. Now my main house is in Florida, and this is my other house. I love music, movies, video games. Umm...I like to fix up old cars."

Melody face lit up, "I love to fix cars. I also like to play video games and watch sports."

"She just keeps getting better and better." He thought to himself. "Even video games?"

"Hell yeah! I have a ton, they're just not unpacked yet. Thank goodness I have my Command and Conquer on my desktop."

"Shut up, Command and Conquerer is my all-time favorite game!"

Soon the two were lost in conversation about the game series. John heard the phone ring and saw something lighting up on her computer desk. He pointed, "Your phone is ringing."

She turned and saw the light flashing. She quickly got up, "Excuse me, sorry!" She said as she sat down and hit a button.

On the screen appeared a man signing to her. She signed back as she talked. "No worries dad, have fun and yes I'll be fine. Goodnight to you too." And she hung it up.

"Sorry, that was my dad. He's just crashing at Meat's tonight." Melody said as she walked back to the couch with John.

"Can I ask you to do something that you might think is crazy?" John said as he took her hand in his and sat her by him.

"What's that?"

"Will you sign when you talk? I want to see you in action. Plus, then I'll know what I should start studying." He said as he put his arm around her.

"Really? You want me to sign? And why are you going to start studying?" Melody asked confused.

"Yes I do. I want to see the real you. Not the you trying to be who it seems everyone wants you to be. And because I want to take you out on a real date tomorrow night before I go back to work and I would like to be able to say something to you in sign." John said slowly and sincerely.

Melody was able to faintly hear him, but she could tell by his eyes and his body language that he was being genuine and honest. She smiled and blushed and this time she signed as she spoke, "Ok, I will."

"So, I see you have an interesting phone. Now how do you watch tv or movies?" He asked.

"Well, I have closed captioning. They might drive you crazy though." She warned as she grabbed the remote. "And I usually have the volume all the way off or I have it cranked way up. So I'm handing you the controls. I don't need the volume, I'll follow the captions."

John held her close and found a movie for them to watch. He came across "Die Hard with a Vengenance" and she smiled.

Melody tapped his leg, "I like this movie." She signed first. Then she spoke the words.

"So if I put my thumb and my middle fingertip on my pecs and pull them out and touch them together like this, it means like?" He asked repeating the gesture.

She nodded and shook her right fist up and down for yes. "Yes."

"Nice." John said proudly. He looked at Melody and pointed to his chest and then made the like sign and then pointed to the movie.

She clapped and smiled, "Well done!"

John had to admit, watching the show with the captions on did take some getting used to, but it wasn't that bad. And they were communicating pretty well. He kept his arm around her and they sat on the couch and relaxed.

At a commercial she turned to look at him, "So, tell me. I know we've gone through this already, but I want to be sure. Are you seeing anyone?"

John smiled and shook his head, "No, but I sure do like seeing the girl sitting next to me."

Melody playfully signed "corny line" and then spoke as she signed, "I just want to make sure no big girl wrestler is going to come after me and beat my ass."

John laughed, "Girl wrestler? Have you ever watched wrestling? They're normally called divas."

Melody shook her head no sheepishly, "No, my dad was never into the WWF. Is that who you wrestle for?"

John shook his head, "No, I wrestle for the WWE. They changed their name many years ago. But it's the same company. And I promise you, I'm single. My ex still calls from time to time, but I have no problem ignoring her."

"Sorry, just for you I'll watch it. When's the next time it's on?" She signed as she questioned.

"Monday night. On USA."

"Ok. Count me in."

John grinned, "Great. Maybe tomorrow you could come over to my house before we go out and I can show you a few things besides the garage."

Soon the movie finished and John held her close. "Well, it's getting late and we've had a helluva night. I think I'm going to head home and let you get to sleep. Can I call you tomorrow?"

Melody grinned, she hadn't really explained the TTY machine to him. "Sure," she said. She got up and wrote her phone number down. She turned and handed it to him, "Here you go. The number on the top is my house number and the bottom one is my cell phone, but that only gets texts."

"So I can all the house phone, and text the cell. Got it." John said putting the paper into his pocket.

She walked him to the front door, "I had a great time tonight. And I'll have your dishes ready for you tomorrow."

"You didn't sign." John teased. He leaned and kissed her a brief but sweet kiss goodnight. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Melody grinned, "Good night John."

"Good night Melody." And he turned to leave.

Melody watched to make sure he got across the street and to his door. Then she closed the door. She leaned against it. "Girl, either he likes you, or you are living in denial." She said to herself. She turned everything off and headed to bed. With thoughts of her date tommorrow night could possibly go.

**Please read and review! Will John break down and ask her more questions about her childhood and her deafness? Now he's beginning to see the real Melody...will he let himself fall for her? What will his wrestling buddies say? What about his family? And if Liz is calling him from time to time...that might not be good. Please read and review! Have a great weekend!**


	3. Chapter 3

**THANK YOU for the wonderful reviews! I do apologize for the gap in updates, work and home has been a bit busy, but I'm SO glad you are all enjoying this story as much as I am! Also, I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, Melody's abilities are loosely based on Mandy Harvey, she's a completely deaf jazz singer from Denver CO. And there's another deaf opera singer from the UK by the name of Janine Roebuck. Please Google them, they're amazing! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

John got home and plopped down on his couch. He grabbed his phone and listened to his messages. His buddy Rob was the first message. Rob had been a good friend of his since high school, so John knew he could always count on him to give good, solid, honest advice. There was also a message from his ex-girlfriend Liz. She was going to be in California and wanted to stop by and see him. John rolled his eyes and deleted her message. Lately she had been texting and calling him like crazy. Usually he'd cave in and call her back, but he really liked Melody. Melody seemed to have all of the qualities he was looking for…except she was deaf.

Then the last message had been from Andrea. Andrea was Randy Orton's wife's best friend. She had given John a phone number of a girl he was supposed to call and set up a date with, but then he met Melody. She was harassing him playfully for not calling yet.

John deleted them all and called Rob. It took a few rings, but then he answered.

"Robbie!" John said loudly. "You weren't sleeping were ya?"

Rob rolled his eyes, "No dude, I'm playing the new Madden and was lazy. But it was you so I answered. What's going on buddy?"

"Well, I've gotta talk to you about something. Actually…about someone." John said as he got comfortable on the couch. "And I need your honest opinion."

"Alright, who is she?"

"Her name is Melody. She moved in across the street from me in Cali." John explained. He told Rob all about the things they had in common and what she looked like.

Rob was very happy, it finally sounded like John had found someone who wasn't a nut case.

John took a deep breath, "But, with all of that being said…there's one other thing."

"Uh-oh…she's got a kid doesn't she?" Rob said with a laugh.

"Nope, she's deaf." John replied.

"What?" Rob questioned. "How does she like music and dancing if she's deaf?"

"Well, she used to be able to hear. She was always hard of hearing, but it got worse as she got older and then when she was a freshman in college she lost the majority of it. With her hearing aids in she can hear certain things, but still not very well. But she says that she can sing and dance. If we're sitting close enough and she's wearing her hearing aids then she can hear my voice. She was raised as a hearing child, but she doesn't talk about her childhood much."

"Raised hearing or not, how can she sing? How can she talk clearly? I don't get it." Rob questioned. "Dude, you should be careful. How do you know she's not a con artist? What if she's some gold digger?"

"Rob, she's the daughter of a famous songwriter. She's already from a wealthy background, and I've met her dad. She's just really guarded about her past." John replied.

Rob shook his head, "I don't know dude. I think you guys need to have a serious talk. Figure out how she can do so much and still be deaf. What does she want out of life? If you guys hit it off, what about a future? Does she want to get married? Kids? John, I know you. I know you aren't going to let something like a handicap get in the way if you really like her. And if you really like her, you stand a chance of falling in love with her. If you fall in love with her, your life will totally change. Are you ready for that? You'd have to learn sign language and figure out her culture. Are you ready for that?" Rob questioned.

John nodded, "Yeah, you're right. I do like her, and I need to make her feel comfortable enough to let her guard down so she can be honest and I can get some answers. I've only hung out with her once, I don't want to be too pushy, but I do need her to open up a bit. I know that there are lots of things that would change, but it's no different then if I was married to someone who went deaf or got sick with cancer or lost a limb. If you truly love someone, you're willing to make the sacrifices and stay with them no matter what. You know what I mean?" John asked.

"Good call John, you're right. If my wife was in an accident and lost her hearing, I wouldn't divorce her. I'd do whatever I could to return her life back to as close to normal as possible." Rob replied. "But seriously, dig into her past and her deafness a bit."

"Yeah I will talk to her tomorrow. We have a date and she seems pretty easy-going. I just think it's not pretty and she's afraid she'll scare me off. Thanks dude. What did you need when you called?"

"Just seeing when you were coming back to Florida." Rob replied with a laugh. "Because I need to whoop your ass in Madden."

"Not sure yet, depends on how tomorrow goes." John said with a laugh. "But I'll keep ya in the loop."

"Sounds good. Later dude." And Rob hung up.

John hung up and text Andrea, _"I haven't called her because I might have met someone."_

Andrea text back, _"You could still go out to dinner with her. You might like her better. "_

John shook his head with a laugh, _"Nope. I like this girl. I'll text you after my date tomorrow and let you know." _

Andrea text back, _"Ok, good luck. TTYL."_

The wheels were now spinning in John's mind. Did Rob have a point? Was Melody really not as deaf as she claimed to be? Was there something out there that could make her hear better? Not perfect, but better? Why hadn't she done it yet? Why was she so secretive about the past? He grabbed his laptop and searched "deafness" and then shook his head and closed out of it. He'd rather find out from her. He didn't feel like she was trying to play him…but maybe being a rock star's daughter wasn't a pretty life? Especially if her deafness wasn't accepted.

John turned everything off and went to bed. He needed it to be tomorrow.

Melody awoke the next morning and looked at the clock. It was only 6:00am. She groaned and rolled over. After tossing and turning a bit, she realized she wasn't going to fall back asleep. Tonight was her date with John, and she had a few things to do today, so Melody got out of bed and threw on her jogging clothes. She peeked in her dad's room but it was still empty. She scribbled a note and tacked it up on the fridge.

Melody plopped down in the living room and cranked out 100 crunches, 50 jumping jacks and 50 wall push-ups. Then she grabbed a bottle of water and headed outside. It was already hot outside so she ran back in and tied her hair up. As she walked out, she locked the door behind her. You could take the girl out of New York but not the New York out of the girl.

And off she jogged.

John woke up to the sunshine pouring in through the window. He grabbed his cell phone, it was only 6:45am. "Why the hell am I up so early?" He grumbled to himself. He got up to close the blinds when something caught his eye…Melody was out jogging.

John grinned, maybe it was a sign? Maybe he should tell the questions in his head to shove off and make a whole day out of their date? They could take a car ride and have lunch. She could tell him about her childhood and her deafness and when he proved it didn't scare him off, they'd go out to dinner just as planned.

John got up and threw on a pair of shorts. He stretched a bit and headed outside.

As Melody rounded the corner she grinned and waved when she spotted John.

"Good morning sunshine!" He called to her down the block.

Melody didn't respond. She jogged up to him with a smile, "Well hello there!"

"You're up early." He said with a smile.

Melody took her sunglasses off, "I don't have my hearing aids in," she spoke and signed. "Did you just ask me if I was up a leaf?"

John laughed, "No, I said you are up early." He said slower.

Melody broke out laughing, "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. Sorry about that."

"No problem. Mind if I jog with you?" John asked.

Melody smiled and put her glasses back on. When her sunglasses were on, she could drool over his physique. She had NEVER seen muscles like his up close before. "If you think you can keep up with me."

John put his arm on hers, "I know a great path, follow me."

Melody signed, "Ok." And began jogging with him.

John took Melody to a beautiful path that wasn't too far from the house. They jogged around a beautiful botanical garden. Then they jogged home.

"That was really great, thank you." Melody said to John.

"Thanks for letting me join you." He said to her. "I have a crazy idea. Hear me out."

Melody lifted her sunglasses and winked at him, "Babe, you know I can't hear you, but what's your idea?"

John laughed, "Aren't you sassy in the mornings? Can you throw your hearing aids in real quick? Then I can tell you my idea?"

Melody nodded, "Sure, follow me."

They crossed the street to Melody's and walked inside. Jim was inside sitting on the couch. "Hi dad." She said.

"Tell me you're not just getting home from last night." He said with a chuckle while he was looking into a stack of papers.

"What? I don't have my hearing aids in." Melody asked.

John caught Jim rolling his eyes. He looked up at Melody and signed as he spoke, "Are you just getting home from last night?"

Melody laughed, "No, we were jogging. Didn't you see my note on the fridge?"

Jim shook his head, "Didn't go in the kitchen."

She looked at John, "I'll be right back. Go ahead and make yourself comfy. If you need water, there's some in the fridge."

Jim didn't say anything to John at first. Finally he looked over at him, "So, did you guys have a good time last night?"

John nodded, "Yeah, we took my bike out and got caught in the storm. Then we got back and watched a movie."

"It's weird to watch a movie with captions isn't it?" Jim said to John as he got up.

"Yeah, usually I turn them off." John said with a laugh.

Jim laughed as he walked out of the room.

Melody reappeared. "Sorry, all better. What's your idea?"

John reached out and took her hand and brought her closer to him, then sat her down on the couch next to him. "What if we take a road trip, I'll show you around Cali, we can grab lunch and really get to know each other. I want to know about your past, your childhood, your deafness, everything. And I'll tell you everything there is to know about me."

Melody looked excited at first, but upon him mentioning her childhood and her past, she looked a little uneasy. "John, can I be really honest with you?"

"Yes please do."

She grabbed out her cell phone, "Do you have your cell on you?"

John shook his head, "No, I don't usually take it out jogging."

She looked a bit discouraged, "I have to go to Meat's this morning and help him train in a new back-up singer. Pearl's going to be on maternity leave, and Patti's in Vegas right now, so I promised him I would help. If you want, you can come with me and we can leave from there."

"Sure, that would be great." John said with a smile. "What did you want to text me?"

"I'll tell you on the way to Meat's. Wanna pick me up at 8:30am?" Melody offered.

"Sounds great." John replied. He got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "See ya shortly."

As she closed the door, she couldn't help but grin ear to ear. Man she liked him.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" Jim said to her.

"_What_?" She signed.

"You know what. You and someone who can hear. It doesn't work. They don't know how to adapt." Jim said sternly. "Think of Bill, Michael, Robbie."

"Thanks Dad…I've got this. I'm glad you can remember my failed relationships. But what about the ones with the deaf guys who couldn't adapt to the little bit of hearing I do have. The ones who couldn't handle that I can sing and dance and enjoy music and hang out with all of my hearing friends?" She said with tears in her eyes. "Like Steve and Sean and Ben?"

Jim shook his head, "I just want you to be careful. I don't want to see you broken-hearted. There's a reason I have cats. People suck."

"Yeah, well I like people. I'm going to take a shower and get ready. John's taking me over to Meat's." She said as she walked out of the room.

Jim pounded on the wall to get her attention. When she turned, he signed to her, "_I'm sorry_."

She nodded and continued to her room.

Melody had tears in her eyes, why did her dad have to be so negative? She turned on the water super hot and climbed in. She took a quick shower and hopped out. Once she was dressed she text Patti Russo. She was like a surrogate mom to her. "Hey, can you Skype for a few min?"

"Sure, call me." Patti text back.

Melody looked at the clock, she had 15 minutes till John would be there. She threw on denim capris with a bustier-style top. Then sat down at her laptop and signed into Skype. Soon Patti's face was in front of her. "What's wrong honey?" Patti said to her.

Melody had the volume turned down, but she could read Patti's lips.

"_I met this really nice guy. He lives across the street. We had dinner and watched a movie last night. This morning we went jogging and then we're spending the day together. But all dad has to say is it'll never work because he can hear and I'm deaf." _Melody signed. That way Jim couldn't overhear her.

Patti frowned, "I'm sorry honey. Your dad just wants you to be in a relationship where you're comfortable and not fighting to fit in all the time. I'm sure all of his friends can hear and you know how it is when you're left out of conversations because you can't keep up. Your dad just wants you to be happy."

Melody nodded, "_Yeah I guess." She signed back. "I feel like there's no one he likes for me."_

"That's a dad thing." Patti replied in sign. "Dad's are always protective over their daughters. Let Meat meet him. You know he'll tell you honestly how he feels about the guy. And you know how your dad is."

"_I know, but I hate that excuse."_ Melody signed sternly. _"But I have to go. I have to quick throw some make-up on, he'll be here any minute. Thanks for hearing me out Patti."_

"Anytime, I love you." Patti signed to her.

"_Love you too_." And Melody closed her laptop. She quickly threw on a little make-up and her favorite lip gloss. She slipped on some strappy, high-heeled sandals.

As she walked downstairs, the lights flashed. Her doorbell was ringing. As she got to the door Jim reached out and touched her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you get your hopes up and then have him squash them…especially since he lives across the street from you."

"Thanks dad. It's ok. I have to tell myself the reality, while trying to keep my hopes up just a little." She said with a little smile.

Melody opened the door as Jim disappeared, "Hi!"

John smiled. Man she looked good. Her little white bustier with little blue flowers on it was driving him crazy. "Hi. Ready?"

She grabbed her purse, "Dad, I'm leaving." She called out.

"Ok, have fun." He called back from another room.

John tried not to show his confusion, she couldn't hear him. And that was apparent by her waiting for his response. "He said to have fun." John replied.

"Oh, ok. Let's go." Melody said happily.

They got into John's car and pulled out. "So, we're heading to Meat's house." John said with a smile.

"Yes, and if you want to get to know my past and childhood then this is a great place to start." Melody said patting his hand.

He took it into his, "Then I can't wait."

About twenty minutes later they pulled into a gorgeous mansion's driveway. "Here we are."

"Wow, this is nice." John said as he got out of the car."

She reached out for his hand, "John, you know that if we're in the car together, you don't have to keep the radio off, right?"

John smiled, "Yeah I know. I figured I'd let you explore my iPod later."

They walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. A blonde woman answered and smiled, "Welcome to California Melody!" And the woman hugged her.

Melody smiled and hugged her back, "Thanks Deborah. Where's Meat?"

"He's in the studio with the new girl. I don't know about her." Deborah said shaking her head. "Who's this?"

Melody smiled, "This is my friend John. John, this is Meat's wife Deborah."

John extended his hand out to her, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Go ahead and head downstairs."

They thanked her and headed downstairs. When Melody walked into the basement a few people startedclapping and cheering.

Melody blushed and waved, "Hi everyone."

Meat came forward and embraced Melody tightly. "Hey babe, How are you doing?" He said into Melody's ear.

Melody smiled and it almost looked like she had tears in her eyes, "It's going. How are you?"

Meat shook his head and took out his cell phone and text Melody, "This new girl is not working out. At ALL."

Melody looked at Meat, "I'm sorry. But I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Meat, this is John. John, this is Meat."

Meat looked at John and smiled, "It's very nice to meet you John."

"Nice to meet you too sir." John said as he shook his hand.

"Let's get in there and I'll show her how it's done." Melody said patting Meat on the back.

They all walked in. Melody squeezed John's hand, "I'm really glad that you're here."

John smiled, "Me too."

Meat clapped his hands, "Alright band. Let's try "Anything For Love" and we'll have Melody on lead female vocals and we'll have her direct Rebecca on the backing vocals."

John sat back in a chair. He didn't know what to expect.

The band began to play. Meat began singing. John watched as Melody gave Rebecca cues as to when to sing. Finally Melody took the microphone from the stand and began to walk towards Meat, she slowly raised the mic to her mouth, "Would you raise me up…would you help me down? Would you get me right out of this God-forsaken town? Can you make it all a little less old?"

John's eyes opened wide…he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Melody's voice was beautiful! It was strong and on pitch and on key…how did she do it?

As Melody sang she would give cues to Rebecca when to sing. John watched as they went through song after song and Melody absolutely lit up around the music. She even sat down at the piano and played a bit.

John felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up and Jim was standing there. "What do you think?"

"She's amazing sir." John replied.

"Call me Jimmy. And thank you. I know she's pretty great. But she's also not as strong as you think she might be. Her life has been complicated, and I know she'll tell you about it in her own time. And I know that you like her, but I want you to really think about this. If you don't think you can handle what her life entails, then do her the favor and bow out now."

John looked at Jimmy, "I respect that sir. And yes, I do really like her. We haven't really talked about her deafness or childhood yet, but it is on the horizon. But I will keep that in mind. I would never string her along."

Rebecca stood up, and while Melody was playing piano, she looked over at Meat. "So, tell me, why aren't you hiring her to sing for you?"

"Well, as great as that would be, it would be a lot for her to take on." Meat replied.

Rebecca was back to back with Melody, "So what do you have going on that's so great you can't go on the road with Meat?" She asked.

Melody continued playing and singing quietly.

"Hello? Melody?" Rebecca said as she spun around in her seat so she was facing Melody's back, "Seriously, stop playing. Why aren't you doing this?"

Jimmy walked forward, "Because she's deaf and we can't take that risk."

Meat got up and grumbled something and walked out of the room.

"WHAT?" Rebecca exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that she's deaf?"

Jimmy nodded. Melody quit playing, "Well, it's noon. I'm out of here." She looked around, "Hi dad! Where did Meat go?"

The guitarist waved towards the stairs, "He walked out there for a few."

"Thanks Kasim." Melody replied. She hugged everyone and took John's hand and walked out of the room. She was still ticked at her dad.

She found Meat sitting in his private office. She knocked on the door and poked her head in, "Hey, I'm going to take off."

"What did you think?" Meat asked Melody and John.

Melody shook her head, "She seemed to have an attitude. She doesn't take constructive critiscism very well."

"She was testy with me. She wanted to know why I didn't just hire you." Meat replied as he rubbed his temples.

"Did you tell her that I'm a liability?" Melody replied softly.

"Not exactly, but your dad did tell her you were deaf." Meat responded and shook his head, "I know damn well you could do it. But I hate making you work so hard. I know how much it takes out of you, and I hate seeing you strain to see what the other musicians are saying to each other so you can follow my changes."

Melody went over and hugged him, "You know I don't take it personally. I know it would be too hard. But I'm glad I can help when you need me."

Meat looked at John, "What did you think of her?"

"Rebecca? Honestly, I think she has an attitude problem and she'll be an issue." John replied.

Meat smiled, "Thank you. I appreciate honesty."

"Anytime sir."

"We're going to take off. I'll see you later." Melody said with a smile.

John and Melody left. They got into John's car and left.

John squeezed Melody's hand, "You have a beautiful voice."

"Thanks John. I appreciate it. So, do you really think you are ready to hear about my childhood and my past?"

John nodded, "There's nothing you could say that could scare me off…I promise."

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Melody said with a nervous chuckle. "Let's see….here's how it all began."

***Sorry the chapter got to be so long. I didn't know where to cut it off, so I just let it go. What kinds of skeletons do you think Melody has in her closet? Will John be able to prove to her that he won't be scared off? PLEASE read and review!** Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

"Before I begin, I want you to make me one promise. No matter what I tell you, you need to take into consideration my feelings and where I stand today as an almost 30yr old woman. I've lived through it, I try not to hold grudges, I have given forgiveness and life goes on. And I ask that if you are still around that you do the same."

John nodded, "Ok, I can respect that. But I'm still allowed to have an opinion right?"

Melody smiled and nodded, "Yes, as long as you vent them to me and no other parties that are involved."

John reached over and took her hand, "I can tell that you're nervous to trust me with this information. I promise, I'm not going to run. I really like you, I want to get to know you better."

Melody grinned and nodded, she was still nervous as hell. She took a deep breath, "Ok, well…let's see. Back in the latter part of 1980 there was a record that was trying to be made. Meat wasn't able to sing, he hated dad's songs, and he was married with a baby on the way, so all of this while having a nervous breakdown…it wasn't pretty. So, to break the tension the studio band and back-up singers took Meat and Jimmy back to the hotel and everyone got stoned and drunk and partied till the sun came up. A few months later, one of the back-up singers called Meat and Jimmy together and told them she was pregnant. And that night at the party was the only time she had been with anyone and it just so happened she had been with both of them that night. Well, Meat couldn't tell his wife who was pregnant that he might have just impregnated someone…and Jim is NOT a family man. He never wanted to have kids, didn't want to be in a relationship, he was married to his work and that's why he owned cats. So together they both gave my mother a very large, lump sum of money to not put either of their names on the birth certificate and to free them of any responsibility to the child."

John had planned on listening while driving, but he could tell he'd have to pay attention and follow closely, so he pulled over at a state park. They sat in the car so the wind wouldn't bother her hearing. He turned to face her, "So they paid her off to keep her mouth shut and raise the baby on her own."

Melody nodded, "Yeah, pretty much. So, she basically bounced in and out of the picture for a while, and then finally disappeared. So around 1984 or so, Meat was getting ready to go back out on the road. He still wasn't speaking to Jimmy at all. At the audition, my mom appeared. Meat was happy to have someone who was already familiar with most of the material, so he hired her on. As time passed, Meat could see that my mom was NOT fit to raising a child. She was always partying, always drunk or high, and I was never with her. She'd leave me in the hotel room and then go out. Meat's wife Leslie couldn't stand it, so she'd volunteer to baby sit so I would have a proper meal and not be on my own. Still she had no idea that I could possibly be the love child of her husband."

John continued holding her hand. He thought it was funny to hear her refer to her dad as Jimmy. He was beginning to see this wasn't going to be a pretty story.

"There was two weeks off and it was time to go back out on the road. He'd been calling my mom and she wasn't answering. So he came to the house and let himself in. There he found me laying on the floor, lethargic and soaked from head to toe in pee and poop and vomit, crying my eyes out. The house reeked and was a total mess. Apparently I couldn't lift my head. He ran through the house and found my mother dead in her bedroom…surrounded by bottles and prescription pills. When he picked me up, I was lifeless and was burning up. I had bruises all over my body and hardly any tears. He panicked and called Leslie…he thought I was dying. Leslie told him to rush me to the hospital and she'd call the police about my mom's body. At the hospital, Meat picked up the phone and called Jimmy for the first time since 1981 and told him mom was dead, I was dying and he should get to the hospital right away."

Melody had tears in her eyes, "So, the hospital was hesitant to treat me because I didn't have any family there. Meat and Jimmy told them they would cover any medical expenses and to save my life…whatever it took. I had meningitis and damn near died. Someone was watching over me that day. The doctors told them had Meat not shown up, I probably would have been dead. Meat and Jimmy talked about having the blood test done, but both were nervous about the results. At this point, the police had done some research and found my mom's parents. They showed up at the hospital and were pissed that Meat and Jimmy were there and hadn't had a blood test done. My grandpa pulled them outside and basically told them if they weren't in it for good then to walk away. But my grandma asked if they would please do the test, the results would be told to them and my grandma would seal the envelope in case anything happened to them. So they both reluctantly agreed and 72-hours later it was proven that I was Jimmy's daughter."

"Wow." John managed to muster out. He couldn't imagine going for that long and never knowing.

Melody nodded, "Yup. Well, my grandparents were NOT too happy with Jim. He was creepy, he was reclusive, he was about as abnormal as they came. He was a workaholic who was completely incapable of anything close to parenting as far as they were concerned. But…finding out that I really was his kid made something snap inside of Dad. Even though my grandparents wanted him to leave, he stayed by my side until I was better. But, once I was well enough, they tested my hearing because the antibiotic they used was known for causing deafness. It was then that they showed I had suffered some mild to moderate hearing loss, and it would probably keep getting worse. Dad freaked out. What the hell was he going to do with a deaf kid? And he took off. He told my grandparents he'd call them and we never saw him again."

John looked shocked. He couldn't believe someone would take off like that…especially when it's their own child.

My grandparents decided then and there they were raising me as a deaf child. They wouldn't get me hearing aids, I was sent off to a deaf boarding school and they were told to instruct me as if I was completely deaf. There I learned ASL and I began learning how to read lips. The only time we heard from dad was Christmas. My grandparents had told my school to not offer me music classes. They felt music was the reason my mom turned towards the devil, so they wanted me as far away from it as possible. They never came to see me. The only time I went home was summers and holidays. There they spoke to me as if I was hearing, since they knew I could still hear."

John looked confused, "So even though you could still hear, they sent you to a deaf boarding school?"

Melody nodded, "Yup. I was still able to hear a teacher for the most part, I could carry on a conversation just fine, I sang along with the radio with my roommate. I sang at church. The only time I had trouble hearing was in a noisy situation. But since the doctors had told my grandparents that I would eventually lose all of my hearing, they wanted me to be prepared."

John shook his head, "So the only reason you're deaf is because of the meningitis. You weren't born with anything, no severe head trauma…it's all because of the illness, right?"

Melody nodded, "Yup. And I probably caught it from a crack house, but who knows for sure. Well, one thing my grandparents didn't know was that I had been secretly writing my dad back. Once and awhile he'd send me a letter back or a package back, but usually not. But I would tell him about school and how I really could hear and I felt like I stuck out SO badly. I felt like my grandparents were only keeping me at the school was because the state was paying for it because of my disability and then they didn't have to take care of mom's mistake. So one day, when I was fifth grade, I was called down to the office. When I walked in, Dad was standing there looking shell-shocked. I looked at him and signed "Hi dad. Why are you here?"

He looked at me, "I know you can hear me, and I know you can talk. Talk to me right."

I didn't know what to say, I hadn't seen him in person since the hospital, and he was intimidating. So I looked him in the eyes and said, "Hi dad, why are you here?"

He swallowed hard and looked back at me and cleared his throat, "Well, your grandparents were in an accident and they didn't make it. So, we're going to pack up your stuff and you're moving in with me." I was completely shocked. I didn't know what to say, I sat down and cried a little. I wasn't very close to them, but they were still more family then I had ever known. Finally I looked at him and asked why I wasn't staying at school. He looked right at me with his back to the principal and said, "Because it's a miracle I have a kid, but I won't have a deaf one. We're sending you to normal schools, I'm getting you the best speech therapist, you're getting into the arts just like you've told me you love and you will be raised as a normal kid."

And at the time I was really excited. I wanted to be normal, but I also really loved my deaf friends at my school. Most of them were completely deaf, so when I brought dad to my room to clean it out, he watched me sign to them and not say a word. He says it was the most agonizing thing to watch.

John interrupted, "So you're dad told you to your face that he refused to have a deaf child?"

Melody nodded, "Yup. And let me tell you, he meant it. I wasn't allowed to sign, I wasn't allowed to watch closed captioning, anything related to deafness, I was not allowed to have. And at first it wasn't so bad, I could hear relatively well, so it was kind of fun getting to know what it was like to be hearing. But I still didn't know what it was like to have a dad. It was more like having a roommate. He was nocturnal, and gone a lot. Because he was gone a lot, he got a lot of flack for having a kid living with him. So he sent me to live with Todd and Bebe for rest of the school year. Then when school let out, I was sent to Karla and Robbie's because dad was working with him on Bat Out of Hell II. Dad left to go work with a metal band for awhile and I was sent to Meat and Leslie's. Dad had made sure that I would still work with a great speech therapist and I was in band, choir and drama. So as Bat Out of Hell II was coming together and being promoted, Leslie was basically raising me. She noticed that I seemed to be struggling at school, so she suggested we have my hearing checked. I tested much worse than before. She told Dad I needed hearing aids, and he made sure I had the best of the best. He didn't want a deaf daughter you know."

John nodded, her life had been so chaotic. It seemed like she never really had any stability.

"When Dad and Meat took the album on the road, Dad decided to pull me out of school and have me home-schooled for awhile. He felt I'd learn more if I was on tour. So I had my teacher, my speech therapist, Meat's vocal coach and the band doing my schooling. I began growing up at this point. I still didn't have a real mother figure around, and my father figure was always busy, so I really just took care of myself. Meat would leave the tour on his days off and go coach his daughter's little league team and I felt like my father forgot my presence. But Patti was always there for me. She is Meat's main back-up singer. We bonded instantly, and she learned sign language immediately so we could talk without anyone else knowing what we were saying. Plus my hearing was getting so bad that it was a relief. She tried to advocate for me to get dad to learn ASL, but it wasn't working. The summer of 1994 Dad sent me to England for the summer to stay with Bonnie Tyler and her husband so I could see what it was like overseas. Then I returned and when Meat wasn't on the road, I was still home-schooled and staying with whomever could take me while Dad worked. So when I was in ninth grade, I began developing a naughty streak. I was running around with Meat's youngest daughter who was my age and we were sneaking cigarettes and shoplifting and kissing boys and he never noticed, because he was barely ever home. That was until he came home and found me drunk one night. Amanda was in a normal high school and at that point I wasn't yet. And I was rebelling because of it. He came home and I was so drunk that I could barely stand. Dad was screaming at me why would I do this? Was I stupid? He took me to the bathroom and when I was done puking my guts out, I screamed back at him because I didn't have anyone to tell me not to. I didn't have a real family. I had been living with him and his friends for almost five years, I had never met his parents, or his siblings and I didn't know what having a family was like. I stood up and looked him in the eyes and asked him if he knew what it was like to contemplate suicide on a nightly basis because no one accepted me for the person I really was. I yelled at him that he was partially responsible for my mom's death because he never accepted me and that tore her apart. She didn't know how to be a mom and no one wanted to help her. No one took the time to really get to know me. Dad tried to tell me that he knew exactly who I was, but I lashed out at him. I pulled my hearing aids out of my ears and threw them across the room. I looked him right in the eyes and screamed , "Now do you know who I am?" and I stumbled to my room and slammed the door so hard that the walls shook. I cried and passed out.

John reached over and hugged Melody tightly. She was crying by then and was shaking a little. It killed her to admit the truth to him. She didn't want him to think she was a head case.

So the next morning I woke up, walked out of my room and dad wasn't anywhere to be found. I was still pretty shaken up, and I remembered everything vibrantly. I felt horrible, I had gotten to know dad pretty well and I knew that it wasn't that he didn't care about me. It wasn't that he didn't love me. And God knows I was spoiled, I could have almost anything I wanted. But, he just didn't have the dad gene in him. He was doing the best he could. And I felt like I had pretty much turned into a spoiled brat, and on the outside I was a tough little girl who didn't let anything faze her or stop her. But on the inside I was moosh…I was screaming for parental attention, parental love. I watched all of these other families hug and kiss their kids and snuggle them and I was always left sitting on the sidelines. I wanted to be hugged, I wanted to be appreciated. I took a handful of ibuprofen because my head was killing me and I wrote my dad an apology letter that turned into a suicide letter and decided I was going to let him live his life the way he wanted…without a deaf daughter holding him back. I put it on the piano in the living room and cranked up the stereo. I didn't know what was in the cd player, but I wanted it on and I needed it loud since I couldn't find my hearing aids. I went back to my room. I shut the door and took out the very sharp razor blade that I had stored away. While I was in my room slitting my wrist, what I didn't realize was my dad was in the living room reading the letter. I slit my left wrist 3 times, and they were deep as hell too…I think I instantly went into shock. I don't remember much, but I remember calling Patti and getting her answering machine. And I left her a message telling her that I had done something really bad and was being sent to live somewhere else. I told her I wouldn't see her again, but to please tell Dad that I loved him. Apparently I had blood everywhere in my room, down the side of my comforter, on the phone, on the carpet, it looked like a crime scene. I put on a hooded sweatshirt and stumbled out of my room. The house phone was ringing and Dad answered it crying. It was Patti telling him about my message. Dad was already crying because of my letter. I must have caught his attention because he literally dropped the phone. Apparently I was ghostly white and my eyes were rolling around like I was having a seizure. He was trying to talk to me but I couldn't hear him over the music. So I walked towards the piano and collapsed on the living room floor. When he dropped to my side, he said the blood poured out of my sleeve as if it was fake. He called 911 and held my hand and prayed that I made it. He stayed there on the floor next to me begging for me to make it, vowing to be a better dad and applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding. I kept coming in and out of consciousness. Patti made it to my dad's at the same time the ambulance did. I woke up in a hospital room with an iv giving me blood and my wrist was bandaged heavily. Patti was sitting next to my bed, but my dad wasn't in the room. I looked over at her, and asked her where dad was. Patti smiled and hugged me, "He ran to the bathroom." She signed, then signed that he had been holding it because he was afraid I'd wake up while he was gone. I smiled and lay back against the pillow. I started to doze off but then I felt my hair getting stroked. I opened my eyes and looked into Dad's. He instantly broke down in tears and asked Patti to give us a minute. Dad gave me a very heartfelt apology, he never meant for me to feel like an outcast, he never meant to bully me or turn me into a rolling stone. I apologized for doing it, I apologized for trying to take the cowards way out. He told me Meat and Leslie and the girls had wanted to come but he told them no. It was time for us to learn to be a family. He laughed and said Patti refused to leave because she felt like she was my surrogate mom and she was the only one who could sign to me. He told me that we would be going to his family for Hanukkah that year. And I'd be starting in high school in January 1996. And I did, we worked really hard at becoming a bit more normal. He was still gone all the time, but he learned how to sign…even if he refused to use it unless absolutely necessary. And for the rest of high school, we learned how to be a family. I was a cheerleader, I was in the dance line, I was the pianist for the band and orchestra, I was in choir, I was in drama. He never missed a performance. I was a nanny for a deaf family for a job and I let dad have his space so he could do his own thing also. He was gone a lot. He knew he could trust me staying home alone. I got my tattoo of music notes and hearts around my wrist as a reminder that with love and music I can face anything. I graduated high school in 1999 and could barely hear my name being called. I knew my hearing was on its way out, and dad did too. He saw how frustrated I was. I couldn't date hearing guys because they couldn't handle my deafness, and deaf guys hated how most of my life was in the hearing world. So I decided to take the summer and go to California to study dance. I stayed with Meat, Leslie and the girls.

John sat there in utter amazement. This girl had been through hell. Maybe it's not as bad as some girls have had it, but it was her personal hell.

"I had been accepted to Juliard so I moved out of Dad's and moved in with a few other girls from the school and began the road to my future until the day I woke up and my hearing was completely gone. I woke up and couldn't hear a thing. I called Dad freaking out, my hearing aids weren't working, nothing was working. He came and picked me up and took me to my audiologist. I had a build up of fluid that was exacerbating the deafness, but we knew the day was coming sooner or later, and it had arrived. So the doctor put me on a low-sodium diet and a water pill to try and drain the extra fluid and see if it helped. A week or two later, with my hearing aids, I tested at severe hearing loss, but as you know I can hear a little bit. So I returned to school and went back to life. Then I hit another road block. I was in the middle of a class when my pager kept going off with an odd number. Well I can't use a regular phone so I left and asked the secretary in the office if she could call the number for me. It was the hospital, my dad had a severe heart attack and I was needed immediately. I ran out of there, and I literally ran to the hospital. The subway took too long, I needed to get there. When I got there, they didn't know if he'd make it through the night. He was covered in tubes and machines and I cried my eyes out. I sat by his bedside, holding his hand and brushing his hair day after day, night after night. Dad had a mild stroke while he was in the ICU. Meat had a tour scheduled that dad was supposed to have been on with him, but obviously he wasn't going to make it, so he couldn't be there, Patti couldn't be there. It was me, Dad and Uncle Steve. Steve and I didn't say much, but we kept each other company. Once dad started coming back around Steve only visited on the weekends, I dropped out of college to take care of Dad. I worked as his speech therapist, I helped him start exercising and watching his diet better. We were in the hospital for quite awhile, finally we went back to Dad's. I had already moved all of my stuff back, but he was surprised to see it. This was a learning time for both of us. Dad was getting better, but learning about just how much my deafness impacted everything and I was learning that Dad wasn't invincible. And, we've been pretty close ever since. He knows what I need for my deafness, he signs to me at times, but he'll always be a bit stubborn. I went on tour with Janet for three months, I've worked as a studio musician. I've gone on the road with Meat more than a few times. And then I got hired to work on this tv show and here I am. But dad is very critical, he doesn't think I should date a hearing guy because it's never worked out and I'm just too deaf now and when I date deaf guys, I'm too hearing for them. So dad thinks I should stay single and have cats like him. Dad is very anti-social. He's never been with another woman for more than a one-nighter here and there. He just doesn't have it in him. I know it's not a horrible past, I've never been overly abused or neglected, I've never starved, but living as an orphan isn't easy either, and combine that with my deafness, I totally understand if you want to drop me off. I wouldn't hold it against you."

John leaned in and sweetly kissed Melody. He could feel her tears on his cheek. He pulled back and wiped them, "We see what we want to see. It might not have been the worst childhood, but it was your worst…and that's what matters. And I promise you, you haven't scared me off. Actually it makes me want to be your man even more."

Melody sniffled and looked at him, "You want to be my man?"

John grinned and nodded, "I sure do. I've told you a lot about my childhood already, I know I need to explain to you about my work life more. Wanna go find somewhere to eat lunch and I'll tell you about what my life is like and if that doesn't scare you away…maybe we could talk about us being a couple."

Melody wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "I'd like that very much."

John stole one last kiss and they both settled back in and got out on the road to find a place to eat. John had to explain to her what the life of a professional wrestler slash actor was like. But somehow he didn't think it would be much more different than someone who was on tour.

**Melody finally opened up and told John about her past. What are you guys thinking? Will Melody be understanding of his demanding schedule? If John and Melody start dating…how will John's family react? What about his friends and wrestling buddies? PLEASE read and review! **


	5. Chapter 5

On their way to find somewhere for lunch, Melody played dj and went through John's iPod. John had to admit, she had good musical taste, and she liked her music loud. Granted it's the only way she can hear it, but still it was louder than he even he normally listened to it.

They walked into the restaurant hand in hand and John asked for a table in the back. He wanted them to be able to talk and not be interrupted. The waitress seated them in a nice, quiet area.

Once they had decided on what they were going to order, John reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "So, are you ready to learn about what I do?"

Melody smiled and nodded, "Definitely. Lay it on me."

"Well, as I was telling you, I'm a professional wrestler. But I've also starred in a few movies and tv shows. Like the one I'm working on now." John said slowly. He pulled out his cell phone and pulled up and showed her some of the various photo galleries so she could see what he did.

"Wow, that looks incredibly painful." She said surprised. "So how does your schedule work?"

"Well…that's where it gets tricky. On a normal week, I'm on the road Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, sometimes Tuesday. Sometimes there's a Thursday too. Then on the days off, if I'm not doing anything extra, I'm home. If I am doing extra stuff, then I'm gone." John said cautiously.

Melody's eyes opened wide, "Wow. You're really busy. What extra stuff do you do?"

"The movies, tv shows, appearances, autograph signings, Make-A-Wish stuff, things like that." John answered. "So…did I scare you off with how busy I am?"

Melody paused for a minute, then shook her head no. "No, it's no different than being on tour. Yours just so happens to be year-around. I was raised around musicians who were constantly on the road or on Broadway. And if it's meant to be, then it'll work. So what if it takes a little extra dedication and effort."

John smiled happily. He had been so worried that she'd be scared off about how little he's home. "So…if you're not scared away, and I'm not scared away…does that mean you'll be my girlfriend?"

Melody looked a little nervous, "John, I'm worried about you."

"Me?...Why?"

Melody shifted in her seat, "Because I don't know if you're really ready to handle dating a deaf girl. Yes I was raised as a hearing girl my whole life, but I can't be what I'm not. I will never be like any other girl you've ever dated."

John smiled, "Babe, that's a good thing. I haven't had very good luck. And I know that you're different. I respect that and I'm ready to learn and adapt."

"But, is it fair of me to make you?"

"Is it fair of me to make you change? Or adapt? I don't think that this has anything to do with fairness. What do you feel when you're with me?" John asked intently.

Melody looked nervous, she kind of felt put on the spot. "Well…we haven't spent that much time together, but when I'm with you, I'm very happy. I'm partially relaxed and partially nervous. I feel like we really seem to click, but we won't know for sure until we give it more time."

"Why are you nervous?"

"Because I'm afraid I'm going to miss something because I can't hear you. I know that with my hearing aids, I can hear a little, but I don't want you to get dependent on that. I'm afraid I'm going to let myself fall for you and then you'll realize this was a mistake." Melody confessed.

John nodded, he understood where she was coming from. "Melody, I'm so glad that you're comfortable enough with me to be honest. And I'll be honest, I'm a little nervous too. I'm afraid that I make you work too hard when you're with me. I'm afraid that you'll realize that being with someone who can hear is a lot of work and that it's not worth it and you'll walk away. So, I have an idea."

Melody looked a little lost, when John got a little emotional, he started talking faster and she couldn't keep up. "I didn't catch all of that." She said sheepishly.

John leaned across the table and close to her ear, "I have an idea, why don't we give it a try. Let's date for the next two weeks. I can learn about deafness and I'm going to start learning sign language. You can learn about my crazy life and we'll go from there."

Melody smiled and nodded, "I like that idea."

John kissed the top of her hand, "Good, then it's kind of official."

Melody giggled. As they ate their lunch, they talked about different things, such as their favorite movies and favorite foods. They talked about different activities they enjoyed also.

John got up to go to the restroom and left his cell phone on the table. Melody was looking around at the different pictures on the walls when she felt the table vibrate. She glanced over and saw that his phone was ringing. Not trying to be nosy, she looked to see who it was, and the name listed was Jim Ross. She didn't know who he was, but she couldn't resist the curiosity.

When John got back to the table, Melody smiled at him, "Your phone rang, it was Jim Ross."

"Crap, the one time I don't bring it with me. What did he want?"

Melody shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, I can't answer it."

"You could have, remember we're kind of officially dating, I don't want to have any secrets from you." John said squeezing her hand. 

Melody smiled, "That's really sweet John, but I can't answer it. I can't hear the other person's response."

John had the biggest "duh" face, "I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Don't worry about it." Melody replied.

"I hate to do this, but I have to check it, do you mind?"

Melody shook her head no, "Go ahead."

John called the man back. He was on the phone for a few minutes, but he was talking quietly and fast so she couldn't catch any of what he was saying. When he hung up, he looked at her, "I'm sorry about that. When do you start work?"

"Tomorrow. Why?"

"Well, instead of flying out tomorrow morning and heading right to Raw, I'm going to have to fly out later tonight so I can be in Stamford for a meeting at 8am." John replied.

"Should we take off and head back home? Does this mean no dinner?" Melody asked.

"No, we're still going to have dinner. We just might not be able to hang out afterwards. When we get home I have to see what time the last flight to either New York or Stamford is."

"Let me get lunch." Melody said reaching for the check.

"No way!" John replied trying to grab it from her.

Melody grinned and snatched it away, "Nope, it's mine. I grabbed it first. Ha!" And she hustled towards the cash register.

John laughed and caught up with her. As Melody was digging in her purse for her wallet, the cashier asked her how everything was. But she didn't respond. John stepped up, "Everything was great, thank you."

Melody pulled out her wallet and paid.

Once they walked outside, John pulled her close and kissed her sweetly. "Thanks for lunch, you really didn't have to do that."

Melody blushed and grinned, "You're welcome. And I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to." And then she grabbed the keys from him, "How about you play dj with my iPod and I'll drive home."

"Ok, stupid question. I know you like to work on cars, but…are you able to drive?"

Melody looked at him, she couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was serious. "Do you mean because I'm deaf?"

John looked a little nervous, but he nodded.

"Yes, I'm legally able to drive. I've had my license since I was sixteen, but because dad was always gone or busy, I've actually been driving since I was fourteen. And, I drove here from New York because I wanted a road trip."

"Sorry, I wasn't sure."

Melody kissed him on the cheek, "Don't worry. It's ok, I get that question a lot. Just like I get asked about my jogging a lot. I just have to be a little more aware of my surroundings." And she handed him her iPod.

They climbed in the car and began to drive home. John looked over at her, "So, what do you want out of life?"

Melody glanced over at him, "I'm sorry, what?"

John shook his head, trying to have an important conversation with her while she was driving was probably not a wise idea. "Any requests?"

"Nope, but I'll give you some background on a few of them."

John started with "Bad For Good" by Jim Steinman. Melody smiled, "This was written and sang by dad. It's very autobiographical of him. Really listen to the words.

And he did, he listened closely. It was kind of ironic, one of the lyrics was "I wasn't built for comfort, I was built for speed." And another one that stuck out was "I know that I'm gonna be like this forever and I'm never gonna be what I should." The words seemed to hit home with the way he had parented Melody.

He listed to some Meat Loaf, some Bonnie Tyler, she had a lot of eighties and nineties on there. And a lot of different genres as well.

Melody grinned, John liked her old-school rap and hip-hop choices. They even sang along to "03 Bonnie and Clyde" by Jay-Z and Beyonce and "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna.

"So, what's your secret?" John asked. "I know you've told me about the speech therapy and the vocal coaches, but what's your secret?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I listen to more older stuff than newer stuff. It's because I can still hear it in my head. New stuff I've never heard the way it's supposed to sound, so I have to depend on YouTube and karaoke and expensive headphones that I crank up to show me when to sing. But for the cover act at the Deaf club, I'm covering Lady Gaga and Pink. I'll be signing while I sing and dance."

"Wow, you're so multi-talented." John replied as he squeezed her hand.

As they approached John's driveway, there was a Hummer parked in it. John looked confused, "Who is that?"

Melody pulled into the driveway and parked. She waited while John climbed out and approached the Hummer. The door opened, and a very large, blonde man stepped out.

John laughed and shook the guys' hand and gave him a manly hug. Then he motioned for Melody to come out of the car.

Melody walked over to the two guys. They were busy talking as she got next to John.

"Melody," John said putting his hand on her shoulder so she'd look at him, "This is Brock Lesnar. He used to be a WWE wrestler, but now he wrestles for the UFC. Brock, this is Melody."

Melody held her hand out for him, she didn't catch where he wrestles for now, but she didn't mention it. "It's nice to meet you."

Brock smiled and shook her hand, "You too. Are you keeping John out of trouble out her in Cali?"

Melody smiled and looked a little lost, she was having a hard time reading Brock's lips. She looked at John. "I didn't catch that."

John looked at Brock, "Melody's deaf, you have to talk slowly so she can read your lips."

Brock nodded, with his voice raised much louder and speech much slower, he asked "Are you keeping John boy out of trouble?"

Melody giggled, "Trying…but that's quite a task."

"What are you doing out here?" John asked Brock.

As the two guys chatted, Melody tried to keep up, but she couldn't. Melody was ok though, it wasn't the first time and it surely wouldn't be the last.

"What are you doing in Cali dude?" John asked Brock.

"Training in Vegas. I had to do a few things out here, so I thought I'd swing by and see if you were here. I just pulled in the driveway right before you guys did. I don't have a lot of time, but I thought I'd stop and tell you the next time you'll be in Vegas, call me and we'll have a few beers and shoot the shit." Brock replied.

John nodded, "Right on bro, right on."

"I'm going to take off, I just wanted to stop real quick. So are you dating her?" Brock asked nodding towards Melody without being too obvious.

"Kind of. We're giving it a trail run." John replied proudly.

"Good luck dude. Keep me posted on that." Brock said to him. He turned to Melody, "I'm going, it was nice to meet you."

Melody smiled, "Nice to meet you too."

And Brock took off.

John turned to Melody, "Sorry about that. Let's go find some flight times and figure out the rest of our evening."

She slid her hand into his and walked in with him.


	6. Chapter 6

**THANK YOU SO MUCH for your wonderful reviews! I'm SO happy that you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am. I should have been putting that on each chapter, but I've been on a bit of a roll and I get excited and forget. Thank You! Please continue to read and review!**

John booked his flight and went back to the living room and sat down by Melody. "So, we are all set, I don't have to be to the airport till 10:15pm. We're still on for dinner."

Melody smiled, "Are you sure you'll be ok with that little of sleep?"

John nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine. But I do want to talk to you about something."

"Ok, what's up?"

"I want to learn sign language. I want to know what it's like to be deaf. I want to know what your typical day is like." John said with a smile.

Melody smiled, "You want to learn how to sign?"

John nodded, "Yes, I want to be able to sign to you and have conversations with you in ASL. And not just fingerspell each word."

"That's really sweet. It's a lot to learn though. I have a few good websites at my house I can show you. And if you really want to know what it's like to be deaf, then we would need to go to my place. I'll put you through what I put dad through."

John nodded, "Let's go."

Melody stood up and they walked hand-in-hand across the street to her house. Jimmy was sitting on the couch when they walked in.

Melody looked at John, "Here's how you sign Hi dad." And she signed it.

John copied her perfectly.

Jimmy laughed, "Trying to learn how to sign, huh?"

John nodded with a smile. "Yes sir I am."

Jimmy fake screamed, "Don't ever call me sir. I'm not a sir. I'm Jimmy. Or apparently dad, as you just signed." And Jimmy signed back " _Hi son, Hi daughter_."

Melody giggled and looked at John, "He just signed "Hi son. But wait here, I'll be right back."

Jimmy looked at John, "You're pretty serious about this, aren't you? I mean, learning to sign isn't going to get you in her pants if that's all you're looking for."

John looked at him surprised, "Sir…Jimmy…it's not like that. There's something about her that I just can't figure out, but I feel something. And I want to see just what that something is. I'm not just looking to score with her, I swear. I really want to get to know the real her."

"Well it takes a lot to get her to open up. She doesn't just let anyone in. Don't take it personally, she's always been guarded." Jimmy started to say when John interrupted.

"She's told me about her childhood and about when she lost the rest of her hearing already. We had a really great talk today. I've learned about her life on the hearing side of the world, now I want to learn about it on the deaf side of the world."

Jimmy looked surprised, he didn't think she'd open up to John like that this soon. She must really like him. But it's only been a couple of days…what was she thinking? "Wow, that's impressive. Don't fuck it up."

As John was going to respond, Melody came bouncing down the stairs carrying ear protection like you'd see at a gun range or on a little kid at a rock and roll show. "Ok, first put these ear plugs in, then put these on over them." She instructed.

John did, and it really did mute most of the sound out. Melody spoke at a pretty normal level and he could barely hear her.

"This is as close as I can get you. But, since I can barely hear, imagine what you hear slightly lower and that's my life." Melody replied. Then she looked at him and smiled and lifted her hands, "_It means a lot to me that you really want to learn how to sign. It's tough, but once you get the hang of it and remember it then it's not so bad._" She signed and spoke slowly and loudly.

John looked at her puzzled. Melody took out her phone and text him exactly what she had just spoken. He looked up and nodded, "I can't wait to learn."

She took the ear muffs off of him and motioned to him to remove the ear plugs. "We'll do that part later. Let me show you how some of my equipment works."

She walked him around her house and showed him the signalers she had installed. They were things that lit up when the doorbell rang, when the phone was ringing. She also had a signaler that shook the bed if the smoke alarm was to go off. And each smoke alarm had strobe lights as well. She had a couple TTY machines in the house in place of a regular telephone. She pointed out that she had carpeting because it helped to absorb the background noise. Then she showed him her watch that vibrated for the alarm. "This is what helps me."

John was surprised, "Wow, I had no idea."

Melody nodded, "Yeah, and even though I'm only renting this place, I still had dad install everything so I knew I'd be ok on my own. Dad's flying back to New York tomorrow or Tuesday and he gets nervous that something will happen because I wasn't prepared."

John started to think about what the future would be like with Melody. If they ever moved in together, he'd have to make the same arrangements for her. They weren't difficult, just different. They were sitting in the upstairs entertainment room when "Do you want to get married?" came out of his mouth.

"What?" Melody asked. She could have sworn he asked her if she wanted to get married.

He faced her right on, "I don't mean today, but do you ever want to get married?" He asked a little louder and a little slower.

Melody thought for a minute, and then nodded, "Yeah, I do. At least I'd like to. I don't know what fate has in store for me, but I hope to. What about you?"

John nodded, "Yeah, I do. But I want to do it when I know it's right. I don't want to get married and then divorced and then re-married. I want to do it right the first time. Do you want to have kids?"

Melody took a deep breath, "I think I do. To be honest, I'm kind of scared to. But I think if I was with the right person I wouldn't be so scared about it."

"Why are you scared?" John asked curiously.

She grabbed his hand and brought him back into her bedroom and sat him down on her bed. She grabbed her laptop and opened up the Word program. She quickly began typing, "_It sounds stupid, but I worry because of how I was raised. My mom spazzed out and lost it and couldn't function as a mom. Then I have my dad who couldn't figure out how to be a dad until I was a troubled teen. And yes I had wonderful surrogate families but I guess I just worry that I'll somehow screw it up. So honestly, if I was with the right person and we had a great relationship/marriage then yes I would love to be have kids. I haven't been around many, but I've been around enough to be dangerous. And Pearl said I can babysit her baby anytime to see what it would be like so I can help conquer my fear. So there, as dumb as it sounds, that's my answer. I'm typing this because I don't want dad to overhear and feel bad. I try not to guilt trip him unless he really has it coming._"

John couldn't help it, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. It meant a lot to him that she would open up and be that honest with him about her feelings. From what he'd been gathering, she wasn't permanently damaged or anything from her upbringing, she was a very happy-go-lucky person. She was just cautious about her actions.

When they let go, she looked into his eyes, "What is it about you? I feel so comfortable with you, almost like I've known you forever." She said softly.

John smiled at her, "I couldn't tell ya. Show me your ASL sites."

Together they sat and went through a few websites and she taught John a few basic phrases and words such as thank you, you're welcome, please, I like, I don't like and I'm sorry.

They bounced down the stairs a while later and Jimmy looked up towards them and smiled. John looked at Jimmy, "_I like your motorcycle." _He signed.

Jimmy smiled and clapped. "Congrats John! Lookin' good."

Melody grinned ear to ear. It was nice to see her dad more open-minded to their possibly budding relationship.

John signed and spoke, "_Thank you_."

"So what do you guys have on your agenda for tonight?" Jimmy asked them.

"I have to fly out to Connecticut tonight, so we're going to get relax a bit, then get ready and go out for dinner. Then we'll see how much time we have before I have to leave." John replied.

Jimmy got up, "Well, I'm going to wrap things up over at Meat's, I fly out Tuesday morning. I'm not sure what time I'll be back." He gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and left the room.

John got up, "Alright, so I'm going to head home and take care of a few things. Should I pick you up around 6:30pm?"

Melody smiled, "That sounds great."

He kissed her sweetly and she walked him to the door. After he left, she smiled to herself. If this worked out, she'd be the happiest woman ever.

John got home and squeezed in a workout. He had a list of questions he was forming in his head while he lifted weights.

Melody talked to a few of her friends back in New York. Then hopped in the shower. She wanted to knock his socks off.

Melody wasn't too sure about where they were going for dinner, so she went with simple, yet sexy. She had kept her wardrobe around John pretty casual, so tonight it was time for a change. She went through her closet about six times and finally realized without knowing what kind of a restaurant they were going to, she wasn't sure how dressy to dress. So she grabbed her phone and text John, "How fancy should I be?"

A couple minutes later John text back, "Not formal, but not casual…semi-formal."

Melody smiled, "Ok, thanks!" And she headed back to the closet. She emerged with a little black dress. It had spaghetti straps and sparkles. It was a flowing dress, but it hugged her in just the right spots. She found a pair of strappy black heels to pair with it and a silver shrug.

By the time her doorbell rang, she was ready for their date. She opened the door and smiled, "Good evening."

John was standing there in a blue button-down shirt with tan khakis. He looked SO hot. The blue in his shirt really brought out the blue in his eyes. He smiled back at her, and his dimples about melted her heart.

He was almost at a loss for words. Melody looked incredibly sexy. The way the black dress moved when she walked, the way it hugged her curves, and the smile that lit up her eyes. John was incredibly aroused by her appearance. "You look great."

Melody blushed, "Thanks, you do too."

He held out his arm for her, "Ready?"

She nodded and smiled. She linked arms with him, locked the door and walked with him to his car. He opened the door for her and closed it once she was inside.

John got in and they left.

"So, did you get everything done you needed to do?" Melody asked.

"Yup, sure did. What did you do?" John asked.

"I talked to a few of my friends from New York who wanted to make sure I was getting settled. Then I took a long, hot bubble bath and got ready." Melody said with a smile.

"Very nice. I know of a great steakhouse in L.A. and the food is amazing and it's usually a pretty quiet place." John advised Melody.

"Sounds great. I'm pretty laid back, so don't worry about that. We could have grabbed a bucket of KFC and headed down by the ocean to watch the sunset and I would have been just as happy." Melody replied with a smile.

John looked at her with a shocked expression. His heart had done a flip-flop. She wasn't high maintenance; she had a lot of things in common with him, where had she been all of his life?

Melody giggled, "Yes, honestly. I love to go out and live it up, but I'm also incredibly simple. I'm a girl who loves the little things."

"You are absolutely amazing my dear." John said kissing her hand. In his head, he was completely astonished that she was so easy-going.

They arrived at the restaurant and were seated immediately. They had a nice, quiet table tucked away. John immediately ordered a nice bottle of red wine.

Once the waiter had taken their order and poured them their first glass of wine John looked across the table into Melody's eyes. He smiled and lifted his glass, "To new beginnings."

Melody smiled and clinked glasses with him, "To new beginnings."

They took their first sip and settled into a conversation. John grinned, "Ok, lets' play twenty questions give or take a few."

Melody laughed, "Ok, fire away."

"I'll ask a question, you answer with whatever pops into your head first. No long thinking."

Melody nodded, "Ok."

"Favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Favorite movie?"

"I can't just pick one!" She laughed. "There are far too many."

"Gotta pick one." He teased.

"Fine…On Golden Pond."

"Wow, I haven't seen that in forever. Ok, favorite holiday?"

"Fourth of July"

"Cautious or risk-taker?"

"Both. Depends on the situation."

John laughed. "Ok, here's a touchy question…what religion are you?"

Melody hung her head, "Ok, this is touchy and tricky. My dad is Jewish, but every surrogate family I've ever lived with hasn't been, so I'm partially Christian and partially Jewish. I celebrate Hanukkah with my dad and his family, and Christmas with Meat's family and band members. What about you?"

"I'm Catholic and I'm Italian so Sundays are all about Mass and food." John replied with a laugh.

Melody grinned, "Which is why your mom's spaghetti and meatball recipe is phenomenal."

"You've got it!" John replied refilling their glasses. "Ok what's your favorite meal?"

"I have two. Bacon-wrapped steak with corn on the cob, baked potatoes and super yummy bread, and chicken fettuccini alfredo with breadsticks."

"And what's your favorite Sunday pastime?" John asked. He was so impressed with her answers, he just couldn't get over how more and more she was becoming his perfect girl.

"Depends on the time of year. I LOVE football, so I like to watch football, have a couple beers and chow down on wings and French fries and various appetizers and pizza. But in the summer I like to make Sunday my chillax day. I clean all morning and then once noon hits, I do whatever the hell I want. That way when Monday rolls around I'm ready to face the new week and whatever it brings my way. If I'm working on a tour, then usually there's a show and that's a whole different story." Melody explained.

Before John could ask another question Melody interrupted, "Hold on there John-boy. I think it's my turn to ask the questions."

"What's your favorite food?" Melody asked as she took another drink of her wine.

"Steak, ice cream, chicken nachos, pizza, I love food, I can go on and on." He replied with a chuckle.

"Favorite band?"

"Easy…Led Zeppelin."

"Ok, besides wrestling, what is your favorite sport?"

"Football through and through. I played football in high school and college. LOVE the game."

"Favorite movie?"

"Star Wars series." John replied quickly.

"Ok, I have to confess…I've never watched a Star Wars movie ever." Melody replied sheepishly.

"WHAT? Are you kidding? Girl, we're watching one tonight. We'll start at the beginning and work our way through." John exclaimed.

Melody burst out laughing. "You act like it's the worst thing ever. Besides, we'd have to watch it at my place because I need the closed captioning."

"This is true. We're going to work on that." John said nodding his head. "Definitely."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Green."

"Interesting choice." Melody replied with a mischievous grin.

"Why's that?"

"Well, you know what they say about the color green…" She said with a wink.

John burst out laughing. "So the more comfortable you are, the sense of humor comes out more and more. I like it."

The waiter brought their food. They ate and laughed and had a wonderful time. When they were done with dinner, John insisted on dessert. They split a warm, giant chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream.

After dinner, John slipped his hand into hers, "So, we still have a little bit of time. Wanna come over?"

She looked into his eyes, "I'd love to."

They drove back to his place and snuggled on his couch. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. They began kissing and kissing led to a nice make-out session on his couch. Neither one of them tried to take it any further, they just enjoyed being in each others' arms.

Finally John looked at his watch, "I have to get going or I'm going to miss my plane."

Melody nodded and stood up. She helped him carry his bags to his car.

John stood close to her and looked into her eyes, "I've had a really great time. The next time you'll see me, I'll wow you with my ASL skills."

Melody laughed and signed, "_Yeah, ok. We'll see, but I can help teach you also. But, I've had a really great time too. I'm also glad you decided to make me some of your mom's spaghetti_."

John leaned down and gave her a long, lingering kiss goodbye. "I'll text you."

Melody nodded, "I hope you have a safe flight."

"Thanks babe. I'll see you later."

Melody waved as John pulled out of his driveway.

Melody walked across the street to her house and sat down on her bed. She really liked John, and she could feel herself falling for him….but could he handle being with her? She grabbed a pillow and held it close. She wanted to just let go of her concerns and fall head first, but yet she just couldn't get herself to do it.

***John and Melody had some great getting to know you better time…what will their trial relationship consist of? Lots of scrutiny from their friends, but what will happen between the two of them? Two weeks begins now. Please read and review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**THANK YOU for your reviews! I really appreciate the feedback and your opinions on how the story is coming together. THANK YOU! Please continue to read and review. As Good ol' J.R. says, "Business is about to pick up!" ***

John sat down in his seat and closed his eyes. All he could think about was what a great time he had with Melody all weekend.

There was just something about her that captivated him. He couldn't figure out what or why, but he felt drawn to her…like he was meant to be with her. Why had it taken him so long to find her?

But then there was that one little thing that worried him…Melody was deaf. Yes she could pretend to be hearing and act as if she was, but she wasn't. And he watched how hard she worked at trying to be involved and trying to be hearing and that just wasn't fair. Why should she have to do all of the work and sacrificing? That's why he was bound and determined to learn ASL. He would never truly know her and really communicate with her until he got some sign language under his belt.

Because of her deafness, he was worried about how his friends and family would react. He didn't want to call it her disability because the woman had definitely not let it slow her down…but what exactly was it? Would his friends and family accept her? Or would they reject her?

He also wondered what life would be like further down the road. What would married life be like? What about raising kids? He realized he had a lot to research.

John knew what he needed to do…he needed to talk to his best friend Randy. Randy was also in the wrestling business, so it was nice to see his perspective as a newlywed, and a new dad who was on the road a lot. He should be able to count on Randy's advice, right? Well…maybe. Randy did have a tendency to be a very opinionated individual…think Stifler from American Pie. That was Randy almost to a T…but he had gotten better since marrying and settling down.

Melody was parked in a lawn chair in her backyard relaxing. She wasn't sure where this trial relationship was going to go…but she wanted it to work. She loved how she was able to open up and be honest with John and he didn't' turn around and lash out at her dad even though he probably wanted to. She loved the feeling she would get when he was around her. The fluttery, tingly, happy-dancing feeling always put a smile on her face.

But there were a few snags she was worried about…He mainly lived in Florida…not California. He could hear, but she was deaf. Talking and hearing were two totally different things, and because she could talk so well it was easy to forget that she couldn't hear. Was it fair to him for them to be together? She was used to her world of mainly silence…would he ever be? The fact that he was willing to learn sign language, and not just a few things, but he wanted to be able to hold conversations with her in sign meant a lot to her. He seemed to really like her and wanted to be with her, but did he truly understand just how different life would be?

The feeling of her phone vibrating scared her. She grabbed her phone and looked at it.

"Just wanted to let you know that I landed safely and I miss you already." John had text.

Melody smiled, her heart was melting. It was hard to keep up a wall when he was so sweet. She text him back, "I'm glad you had a safe flight. I miss you too. I'm lying out in the backyard."

John read the text and smiled. He wished he was with her., "I'll find out my schedule tomorrow and the first night I'm back, we'll kick back with a few beers and watch the stars together. Whatcha thinking about?"

Melody laughed, and tried to figure out how to word it. Finally she began to type, "I'm thinking about how I want to decorate the place. I think I'll spend some time planting flowers and maybe a veggie garden. I'm thinking about us a bit too."

John smiled and replied, "Very nice, maybe a white picket fence too? And what about us?"

"Not telling, and no fence. I'm only renting, I don't want to do anything too permanent."

John text her back, "Alright honey, I'm at the hotel now and I'm going to bed, I have to be to Vince's office by 8 a.m. Goodnight and sweet dreams."

Melody read his text and got an idea. She took a picture of herself lying on the lawn chair and made a kissy-face. She sent it to him with the caption, "Sweet dreams to you too. Xoxo"

John smiled as he looked at the picture. He was falling for this girl. Falling harder than he had in a long time. He saved the picture to his phone and got undressed. Then he climbed into bed with thoughts of Melody dancing in his head.

Monday was starting off to be crazy for Melody. She wound up dozing off in the backyard and awaking to the alarm on her watch vibrating. She felt like crap and was horribly stiff. She took a long, hot shower to try and get the kinks out of her neck and her back. By the time she got out of the shower and looked at the clock she only had fifteen minutes till she had to leave. She quickly ran around and found a sundress to throw on with some sandals. She quickly threw some mousse in her hair so her curls wouldn't frizz out and threw on a little light make-up.

She ran down the stairs and grabbed her purse. Then ran back upstairs for her phone charger and ran back downstairs to the kitchen. She looked in the fridge and frowned, she should have gone grocery shopping last night instead of being a bum. She groaned and closed the fridge door. She quickly scribbled a note for her dad letting him know she was at work and would text him later.

Melody locked the door and ran out to the garage. She jumped in her Mustang and glanced at the clock, amazingly enough, she was leaving right on time. If luck would have it there would be a coffee cart near the studios. She rummaged through her purse looking for her iPod but couldn't find it. Then she realized she had left it in John's car. Meaning she wouldn't see it for awhile. Grumbling she threw in a cd and cranked it up. She was bound and determined to not be late on her first day.

At lunchtime she sat with everyone to eat. She tried to follow their conversations, but there was just no way of keeping up and catching the side comments at the same time. After finishing her sandwich she excused herself and walked outside. She took out her phone and smiled when she saw that John had text her.

"Good morning beautiful. I hope you have a great first day at work. Just got done w/Vince. I'll be working on a new movie in California next week, so I am working the next 6 days. Then I'll be in Cali for 2 weeks straight. Are you going to watch Raw tonight? Maybe Skype after Raw?"

Then she saw another text from John: "Heading to Raw now. Text me when you get home from work if you wanna Skype. I'm about to board the flight and I'm going to be studying the whole flight. Can't wait to show you what I've learned. TTYL"

She thought for a minute and then text, "Wow, 2 weeks straight in Cali for a movie? NICE! I promise, I'll watch Raw for you tonight. Did you know that there are a few movies about you? One is called "My Life" and one is called "Word Life." I wanted to check with you about them. Should I watch them? I get off work around 5pm and then dad and I are having one last dinner before he flies home, so Skype after Raw would be better. I'm excited to see how you do with your signing. I can help you too next week. TTYL"

Melody skimmed through a text from her dad and a text from Meat and a couple texts from one of her best friends Malika. She text her dad back that she would be done around 5pm and they could figure out dinner from there. She text Meat back and let him know that the show she was supposed to do at the Deaf club had been cancelled from the email she had gotten that morning.

Then she text Malika back. Malika's texts had been wondering what California was like and if she had met any super hot deaf guys. "Well…California is ok. And the super hot hearing guy that I live across the street from that I've been hanging out with sure does make it better. "

Malika text back, "OMG hearing guy? Is he hanging out with you for the right reasons or are you looking for a Cali friend with benefits?"

Melody shook her head, "No, he seems pretty genuine. He's even met Dad and Meat. We're trying out a trial relationship right now. He's even studying ASL so he can talk to me either way." Malika was deaf also, but she had never been able to hear.

"Good luck. I hope all goes well, and I want details!" Malika responded.

Melody checked her watch and headed back inside.

John arrived at the arena and tracked down Randy right away. "Dude, wanna hit the gym? I have to tell you about my weekend."

Randy looked up at him, "Only if you hold on a minute. I have to show you something." Randy got up and walked over to his bag. Then he pulled out an envelope and handed it to John.

John opened it and there was a family picture inside. Randy and his wife Sophie and their kids Hunter and Ellie were sitting on the porch swing. "Aww…great pic man."

"Thanks dude. Let's go."

They got into Randy's rental SUV. Randy looked at John, "Alright dude, what's up?"

"Well, I met this incredible woman this weekend. She moved into the vacant house across from me out in Cali." John began.

"Dude, don't date the neighbors….it's just not wise. If there's a bad break-up, your house gets fucked up and no one knows how it happened." Randy said with a laugh.

"Yeah, ok…anyways. She's incredible. We have a ton of things in common, she's a brunette who likes to work out. She loves music and working on cars and watching sports and she's just perfect." John said with a smile on his face.

"Wow, smiley, looks likes she's got you whipped already. What's her name and how is she in the sack?" Randy replied.

"Her name is Melody, and I don't know, we haven't done that yet. We spent a ton of time just hanging out and getting to know each other better. I met her dad and a family friend and we had a few meals together and a couple drives."

"Boring. C'mon John. You've gotta get in there and give her a test drive." Randy said giving him a shove.

"No dude, you don't understand, from the moment I met her, I knew there was something different about her. I really like her and I don't want to mess it up. So we're in a trial relationship." John started to explain but Randy interrupted him.

"What the fuck? A trial relationship? You shouldn't have to try and convince her to date you. If she wants to then she wants to and if she doesn't then she doesn't and you move the hell on. You're John fuckin' Cena…you could date anyone you want…"

As Randy parked, John took a deep breath, "Well, we're in a trial relationship because there are a few things that take getting used to and learning how to become accustomed to."

They got out of the vehicle and Randy looked at him with a cock-eyed look, "Become accustomed to? What the hell are you talking about? Is she a different race? Different religion?"

"No, she's white, and yeah she has kind of a mixed bag of religion, but that's not it. There's just one little thing."

Randy rolled his eyes, "Is she deformed? A hermaphrodite? Seriously dude, just spit it out."

"She's deaf." John said confidently.

Randy burst into hysterical laughter…almost to the point of tears. That just infuriated John, he grumbled something and walked into the gym.

Randy walked in a second later trying to calm himself down. "Dude, I'm sorry, but you have GOT to warn me before you tell me something like that."

John just shook his head and ignored him. After they got checked in they went to the locker room.

Randy grabbed his arm, and in his best stereo-typical impression he pretended to talk as deaf people commonly spoke and pretended to sign, "Do you mean deaf like this?"

John sent him an evil glance, "She doesn't talk like that, and yes kind of. But forget it, I'm not talking to you about it."

Randy slugged him in the arm, "Shut up. Seriously, why would you want to go there? You are not deaf. How can you even consider this a possibility?"

"If Sophie got sick, and lost her 95% of her hearing, would you leave her?" John asked him seriously.

"No, but that's different. She's my wife. You're just pretending to be in a relationship with this girl. I mean, talk about serious baggage. Have you called that friend of Andrea's yet? I saw a picture of her, she's hot."

"No I haven't called her yet. And, it's not different. She had meningitis when she was young and has progressively lost her hearing as she's gotten older. She talks clear, she sings, she dances, she does everything anyone else does except for she can't hear. I know it would be an adjustment, and it would take some work, but I wanted your serious opinion on this."

Randy looked at him suspiciously. "Did you just say she sings? What's worse than a tone deaf person singing? A completely deaf person singing. John, you're crazy. My serious opinion, without meeting her and seeing the two of you together, I'd have to say that you're in over your head. How do you vent? How do you communicate?"

John sat down on the bench, "She can read lips. And if there's no background noise and I talk loud enough, or close enough to her ear then she can hear me a little bit. But I'm learning sign language."

Randy slammed his locker shut and they walked out to the gym. He turned and looked at John, "Honestly, I think you're fuckin' mental and that you're grasping for straws here. BUT, with that being said, only you will know if it's right. Figure out your little trial relationship, and I'll have the two of you out to our house in Minnesota. I want to see the two of you together before I can judge you. And I know Sophie would love to have the company."

John smiled, "Thanks Randy. I'll keep you posted."

And the two got into their workout routines. But the conversation really got John thinking even more. Was Randy's closed-minded response how everyone would react? What about his family?

John hammered through his workout. He took out his frustrations on the weights, and he felt it too. Randy could see that John was pretty pissed.

When they got done and were heading back to the arena Randy slugged John in the arm, "Hey, lighten up. You know I'm an asshole and you're going to get an asshole opinion from me. Get her out to our place, we'll put her to the test."

John nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just wonder if you're reaction is going to be everyone else's."

"Honestly, yeah probably. But, then it's up to you to lay their shit straight, or are you just going to blow it off? Are you willing to stand up for her? For your relationship?"

"Hell yeah I am. This isn't just some whatever, I really feel something with Melody." John replied sternly.

"Then stand up for it. Look at what Sophie went through with me. I was out getting stoned and running around on her, but she knew that she loved me. She took a lot of shit. But now we're good as gold. You'll get there if you want to get there…it's the adventure to getting there that is rocky."

John looked over at him with a smile, "Aww…that's the married side of Randal speaking."

"Shut up."

John smiled. Randy had made a very good point.

Melody got done and headed home. Overall it had been a pretty good first day. Of course it was a learning curve to teach everyone a few basic signs but then things began to ebb and flow. She was battling a bit of a headache.

She pulled into the driveway and found her dad sitting at the kitchen table. "Hi Dad."

"Hey kiddo. How was work?"

"Exhausting. Good, but exhausting. It's always a challenge the first few days, then it'll be better."

Jim nodded, "I was thinking we have a typical NYC dinner tonight."

Melody thought for a minute, then smiled, "Sushi, Chinese food and beer?"

"You've got it."

Melody smiled and nodded, "Sounds good. But we have to get it and bring it back here because I have to watch Monday Night Raw tonight."

Jim looked confused and then nodded, "That's right…Mr Man is a wrestler isn't he?"

Melody nodded, "Yup. And I ordered a few movies of his from Amazon so I can watch them. He said they'll give me a grasp on his career."

"I have to admit, I didn't think he's stick around. And I'm still a grumpy, skeptical bastard, but I'm wishing you the best. He's really making an effort."

Melody smiled and hugged him, "Thanks Dad. That means a lot."

"Let's go get food and beer. I'm starving."

They went out and got into Melody's car. Jimmy drove to the place that Meat had recommended.

Melody looked over at her dad, "Well, my cover act was cancelled. The deaf club changed their mind."

"_I'm sorry." _Jimmy signed.

"It's ok. I am kind of bummed because I was looking forward to some musical release. But Meat said I could sing at their rehearsals." Melody replied. "Patti will be back tomorrow and Pearl is officially on maternity leave."

"_Is Patti going to come over and visit you?" _Jimmy asked by signing again. It was easier when he was driving to have Melody watch him sign then to turn his attention away from the road so she could see his lips.

"Yeah, we're going to have dinner together Thursday night. I'm hoping my movies arrive by then. I paid for the expedited shipping so I'm keeping my fingers crossed." She replied.

They picked up dinner and hit the liquor store. Then they headed back to Melody's house.

The two sat on the couch and ate their dinner and knocked back a few beers. Finally Raw came on. Melody watched intently, she had never watched wrestling before. She grinned and sent John a text, "Ok, I have Raw on."

He text back, "That's great, I'll be in the ring in a few minutes."

Sure enough, soon John Cena appeared. As he entered the ring and began to trash talk another wrestler. Melody watched intrigued. She followed the closed captioning on the tv. John's comments made her laugh.

She watched him wrestle his match. A little while after his match had been over, her phone vibrated. She glanced at it, and it was text from him.

"Hey, what did ya think?"

Melody smiled and responded, "You make me laugh. But your match looked painful. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, that was nothing. Wait till you watch some of the matches on the dvd's your ordered. Wanna Skype?"

"Sure, let me grab my laptop." Melody text back. She looked back at her dad, "I'm going to Skype with John, go ahead and watch what you want."

Soon Melody was in her room with Skype pulled up. There was John smiling at her. "_Hi beautiful." _He signed to her.

Melody smiled and laughed. "_Hi handsome." _She replied verbally and in sign. "Congrats on your learning!"

"Thanks babe. I'm sorry to hear about your cover act." He said sweetly.

Melody frowned and shook her head, "The lag is too slow, so I can't read your lips. You'll have to type to me, but I'll be able to speak my responses."

"If you're not singing, are you free this weekend?" John typed.

"As far as I know I am. I just have to be back for work on Monday morning. Why?"

"Would you like to come to a couple house shows of mine? You could meet some of my friends and we could hang out. You could see what it's like on my side." John responded. "They're on the East coast, if you'd like you could even meet some of my family."

"I don't know if your signing would be up to par for that, but if you think you could be patient enough with me, then I'd love to. It means a lot to me that you want me to meet your family. Would you feel better if I had an interpreter with me?" Melody asked nervously. "I just worry I won't be able to keep up."

"That's up to you. It wouldn't bother me. You and I wouldn't need the interpreter, right?"

Melody shook her head no, "No, when it's just the two of us then I'm fine. When there's a lot of people it just makes it hard for me to follow a conversation and if someone doesn't speak clearly or slow enough or if they have a thick accent then I need the interpreter or once your signing gets to be fluent enough I won't need one."

John smiled, "I like that idea. My signing will be enough for you one day."

Melody giggled.

"SO, can I book you a flight for Friday night?"

Melody bit her bottom lip and nodded with a grin, "Yeah go ahead. But I'll admit, I'm a little nervous to meet your friends and family."

"First off, that look is sexy as hell. Secondly, don't be. It'll be fun."

Melody looked at the camera with a concerned look on her face, "Just do me a favor. Don't feed me to the wolves."

"Don't you worry, everything will be just fine. I've gotta run. Sweet dreams and I'll text you tomorrow. Tell your dad to have a safe flight for me. Talk to ya later hon."

"Good night, talk to you tomorrow." And she signed off. She was really nervous though…was it such a good idea to meet his friends and family this early? Did he truly understand how tough and uncomfortable this would be for all parties involved at first? "Talk about make it or break it." She mumbled to herself as she went back downstairs to spend a little more time with her dad before he left.

**What do you think? Is John jumping the gun? Is his idea of leaping in head first going to help or hinder the situation? Should Melody have stuck up for herself a bit more, or should she just suck it up and give it her all? Please read and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**THANK YOU for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, I rewrote it 4 times! LOL!**

The rest of the week went by quickly. John and Melody were texting each other throughout the day and Skyped every night before Melody went to bed. The two of them were getting closer and closer. Melody was finally beginning to let her guard down and was starting to fall for him.

John wasn't giving Melody any hints about how far he had come in learning sign language. He was catching on quite quickly with the help of an online course and a few various websites. He was doing pretty darn good. Still getting flack from some of his buddies, but nothing was holding him back.

Melody had made arrangement to get off of work early so she could arrive in New York around dinnertime, make it to the house show and then go out with John and his buddies that night afterwards.

When it was safe, Melody checked her text messages and saw one from John. Something had come up and so he was going to have Randy pick her up from the airport. She responded and sat back in her seat and used her phone to Google who Randy Orton was so she would know who to look for.

Randy raced through the crowd in the airport. He was running late and didn't want Melody to think he had forgotten about her. Finally he spotted her brown curls. "HEY MELODY!" He called out. Lots of people turned to look, but the girl never turned around. "MELODY!" He called again. But then, it dawned on him…if the girl was deaf, she wasn't going to respond."

Randy finally got through the crowd and walked up behind her. He tapped her shoulder.

Melody turned around and looked up to see his face, and then smiled. "You must be Randy."

Randy was surprised, she did speak pretty clearly. He nodded and pulled out a notebook and paper, "Yes I am. You must be the infamous Melody."

Melody giggled, "You don't have to write, just look at me and speak slowly and I can read your lips."

"Ok. Do you need anything before we go?" He replied slowly.

Melody smiled and shook her head no, "Nope, I'm good."

As they walked through the airport Randy would start to say something and then realize she couldn't hear him. So he didn't bother her with his random conversation starters.

Once they were heading back to the arena, Melody turned the radio off and looked over at Randy, "Ok, now if you talk loudly I'll be able to hear you a little bit."

Randy smiled, "My wife is pretty excited to meet the girl that has John Cena all shook up."

Melody giggled, "I'm excited to meet Sophie and your two kids. I've heard a lot about you guys."

"So you're working on a tv show?" Randy asked. He had to admit, she was pretty hot. With her nice body and her pouty lips and big brown eyes, she would turn his head. And she had a nice personality from what he could tell.

"Yeah, behind the scenes. That's what brought me to California. I'm from New York originally. Upstate and New York City."

"Well, I have to tell you, John's a good guy and he really likes you. I wish you guys the best." Randy said with a smile.

"Thanks. I really like him too." She confessed. "I know it'll be hard on him since I'm deaf, but it hasn't scared him away yet."

They both laughed and made small talk as they arrived at the arena. Melody had to admit, she was a bit nervous. She knew John was getting copious amounts of hell because he was dating a deaf girl, but he seemed to be handling it ok.

John walked out the back door with the biggest smile and waved. What was it about that girl that drove him so crazy?

Once Melody got out of the vehicle, John scooped her up and spun her around and gave her a sweet, lingering kiss. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes, "_Hi beautiful, I've missed you_." He signed to her.

Melody's eyes filled with tears, "John that's amazing! Your signing looks great! I can't believe you're really learning for me."

John held her close and kissed her tears, "I have a lot to learn, but I know enough to be dangerous."

Melody hugged him again, "I've missed you too.

John took her hand and walked her into the arena. John spoke and signed all of his introductions for Melody. She was very impressed with the signing that he had learned so far.

He took her around and introduced her to almost everyone. You could tell by the look on his face just how proud he was to call her his girlfriend. As they were getting ready to go and grab a bite to eat, a beautiful girl walked up to them.

"John! Is this your girlfriend?" The bubbly girl asked.

Melody blushed and smiled as John responded. He turned to Melody, "_This is Eve, she's one of our divas. Eve, this is my girlfriend Melody_."

Melody smiled and signed as she spoke. She felt it would help John to watch her speak and sign as well. "It's nice to meet you."

Eve smiled, "You too. Are you coming out with us tonight?"

Melody nodded, "_Yes I am_."

"Great! I've gotta run. See you tonight!" Eve replied with a wave and bounced off.

John put his hand on Melody's shoulder. When she turned, there was a crowd of guys standing around John and they were all talking and laughing. She was too late into the conversation to know what they were talking about and they were all talking so fast she couldn't even begin to try and read their lips, so she just smiled and stood by John's side till he was done.

John glanced at his watch and signed to Melody, "_We should go eat or we'll be late. Are you hungry?"_

Melody nodded, "_Yeah, I'm starving_."

John and Melody went out to dinner at a diner close to the arena so they didn't have to drive anywhere and deal with traffic. John had to admit, he was nervous to introduce her to his friends because they had made so many sick and disrespectful comments about her and her deafness, and had given him so much shit about it, but so far they were all very nice to her.

After dinner they headed back to the arena. The two hung out with a few of John's friends, and Melody did the best she could to keep up with the conversations. Then the show began. Melody made her way out to the audience and watched the show from out there. When John's match was up, on his way to the ring he gave her a high five and winked at her.

Melody had a pretty good time. Watching it live was a lot different than watching it on tv or on the dvd's she had bought. But it was still great.

After the show she made her way backstage and found John getting ready to hop in the shower. She found a spot in the hallway and sat down as she waited.

Eve and the Bella twins walked over to Melody, "Girl, where are you getting ready at?"

Melody shrugged her shoulders, "I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Do you have your stuff with?" Brie asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, it's in John's rental."

"Go get it and you can come get ready in the diva locker room." Nikki said excitedly.

Melody looked puzzled, Nikki spoke really fast. "Umm...did you want me to get my stuff?"

Nikki laughed and nodded.

Melody went and grabbed John's keys and ran out to get her stuff. She came back in and left John a note and tapped on the lockerroom door.

"Come in!" The twins called, but there was no response. Eve poked her head of the shower, "Did you guys seriously just yell to a deaf girl to come in?"

The twins erupted in laughter and Nikki got up and opened the door. "Sorry, I yelled for you to come in." She said to Melody.

Melody laughed, "No worries, I get it all the time."

The quad of girls sat and got ready amidst lots of giggles. They were all doing their make-up and swapping clothes. Melody didn't catch most of the conversation or jokes, but she was still having a good time.

By the time Cody Rhodes pounded on the door to say it was time to go, the girls were finally ready. Melody's phone vibrated and John was texting her to say it was time to go.

Melody walked out in a pair of black stiletto heels, black mini-skirt and a hot pink Playboy halter top. She had a black leather jacket thrown on over her top. Her curls had been teased into big spirals curls. Her make-up really brought out her eyes and she had on kiss-me pink lip gloss. When she came walking out of that dressing room John's jaw hit the floor.

Randy slapped John on the back, "If I wasn't married, I'd tap that twice." He said with a smirk as he walked past John.

"You look hot!" John said with a kiss.

"Thanks. You look pretty good yourself." Melody said as she hugged him.

"I can tell you are your father's daughter." John said to Melody as they walked outside.

"Why?"

"The leather."

Melody laughed and playfully slugged John in the arm.

They all piled into various vehicles and headed for the club. John and Melody rode separately in case they wanted to leave or in case things got a little uncomfortable.

Upon arrival they were promptly met with a round of shots. And then Randy bought a round of shots. The music was cranked up to the max and the club was packed! Their group was ten to twelve people and they were all having a great time. Melody was having an awful time keeping up with conversations, so she headed out to the dance floor.

After a few songs, John joined her. Together the two were setting the dance floor on fire. They had never gone any farther than kissing, but the way they were dancing you would have never guessed. John was completely entranced by the way Melody could move her hips.

John put his head down by her ear, "Baby you're making me so hot right now, let me tell you what I want to do to you." As he began to tell her, he realized she wasn't hearing a single word he was saying. He pondered this for a minute, how do you come on to a deaf girl exactly?

As he started kissing on her neck, the song "Please Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna came on. As they were dancing, she slid his hands down the small of her back and pulled her hips up against his and leaned down and passionately French kissed her. Then he looked into her eyes. "Wanna get out of here?" He mouthed to her.

Melody smiled and bit her bottom lip, but nodded her head yes. "Let me run to the bathroom." She said to him. "You go say your goodbyes." And she slipped away.

As John was saying his goodbyes, Melody came up and said goodbye to everyone and thanked them for letting her tag along. She couldn't keep up with what everyone was saying, but she smiled and waved.

They got out to the car and headed back to the hotel. Melody was very cautious with how much she drank just because of substance abuse running in her family, so she was still pretty sober. But she had a decent buzz going. As John drove, Melody was kissing his neck and messing with his earlobes. She kept a hand lightly on his throat because she could feel when he was moaning or saying something.

John was so turned on it was almost painful. It took every ounce of restraint he had to not just pull the car over and have his way with her right then and there.

They arrived at the hotel and they snuck in a back door. John opened the door and they slipped into his room. The minute that door shut John had her by the arm and pushed up against the wall.

John kissed Melody hungrily. He grabbed her jacket and pulled it down to the floor. Melody slid her hands up the back of his shirt and let her nails slide down his muscular back.

Melody was kissing John back and pressing her body against his. She could feel the bulge in his pants up against her skirt and the thought of what was behind that zipper was sending shivers through her.

John slid his hands up the back of her skirt and found Melody was only wearing a very tiny thong. The mere thought of her in only a thong and nothing else made his cock throb even harder. He had to get inside her.

Melody began unbuttoning John's shirt and tossed it aside. She began to kiss his chest and squatted to tease his belly button.

John rolled his eyes into his head and let his hands slide up the back of her neck and he grabbed to fistfuls of her curls and tugged a bit as he groaned.

She unbuckled his belt and began to unfasten his pants. They had talked about sex a bit the other night and she was very pleased to find out he was very choosy about his partners and was tested regularly. And John was happy to know that she was on an IUD and was set for the next few years. She pulled them down along with his boxers.

John breathed a sigh of relief as his rock hard manhood was set free.

Melody almost gasped at his size. She had never been with someone so big, and honestly the thought excited her a bit. She dropped all the way to her knees and began to slide her tongue along the hard shaft. As she teased the tip she let her other hand massage his balls a bit.

"Holy shit Melody." He groaned and pulled her hair a bit more.

By the time she took his full length in her mouth he was beginning to quiver. The woman had amazing skills with her tongue. Melody glided up and down his shaft and she held his hips with her fingernails.

As she began to suck harder and faster John was getting to the point where he couldn't hardly control himself.

John reached down and pulled her halter top off and began to pinch and twist her nipples as she blew him. And he was pleasantly surprised to hear her moan a bit, he wasn't too sure what to expect.

Finally the feeling of needing to explode was overtaking him. He grabbed her and pulled her up to standing and laid her down on the bed. John grabbed out a condom and slid it on, then he didn't even bother taking her skirt off, he just hiked it up.

John reached down and cock-teased her with the tip of his penis at first. She moaned and dug her fingernails into the small of his back. He finally went ahead and slid himself inside her.

As John was gasping at just how tight and wet she was around his throbbing member, Melody was gasping at just how big and hard he was.

From there it was on. John tried to be sweet and gentle but they were both in the mood to be rough, so he rocked her world.

Melody arched her back and grinded her hips against his. She cried out his name and as an added bonus, she brought her legs up and over his shoulders so he could get as deep as he could.

The sensation that movement brought about an animalistic rage from John. He grabbed her hair and pulled it so her neck was fully exposed and he nibbled it as he pounded into her. He waited to feel her quiver and shiver beneath him and then he released his hot seed deep inside her.

John collapsed on top of Melody and two laid there breathlessly clinging to one another. He gently kissed her cheekbones and the tip of her nose and her forehead and then finally French-kissed her sweetly and passionately.

Melody looked into his eyes as he pulled back, the room was dark so she knew she wouldn't be able to see his response, but she smiled, "Oh my God…that was amazing." And she held onto him even tighter.

John got up and headed into the bathroom. He came back out and climbed into bed with Melody. Together the two fell fast asleep under the covers, completely naked and snuggling with one another.

**WELL…we had an eventful evening didn't we? Tomorrow is family day! I wonder how it will go…And one thing John hasn't mentioned yet…has he even told his parents about her? And if so, did he happen to remember to mention that she was deaf? Please read and review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Your reviews make me smile! I'm so glad you guys like this story so much! Thank you for reading and reviewing. It really helps me! **

John awoke the next morning and smiled as he looked over and saw Melody asleep next to him. She was curled into a little ball facing him. John kissed her forehead lightly and quietly slipped out of bed. He began to tiptoe around the room trying to be quiet because he didn't want to wake her up.

John slipped on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt so he could go down and get them coffee. He walked out of the room and as he quietly closed the door he burst out laughing….he had just tiptoed around a deaf girl sleeping. It didn't matter how noisy he was…she didn't have her hearing aids in, she wouldn't have heard a thing!

John laughed the whole way down to the kitchenette area. He filled two cups of coffee and grabbed a few creams and sugars because he wasn't sure how she liked her coffee.

He got back to the room and realized…he didn't have his key on him. Without a second thought, he began banging on the door. Yet again it finally dawned on him…he was trying to wake up a deaf girl by being noisy….it wasn't going to work.

By the time he had finally gotten the front desk to let him into his room, the coffee was cold and he was frustrated. He set the coffee aside and looked over at the bed and stopped in his tracks.

Melody looked so unbelievably sexy…she was fast asleep with only the sheet barely covering her naked body. The sun was shining in on her and she looked absolutely angelic.

John could feel his manhood stirring…he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and make love to her.

John slid his clothes off and slipped back into bed with her. He began to trace his fingertips along the contours of her body. He gently kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, then each cheekbone, then he leaned in and kissed her lips.

Melody's eyes fluttered open and she lovingly kissed him back. "Mmm…you keep that up and we're never getting out of bed."

John smiled and winked at her, "I like the sounds of that." And he began kissing her again.

Melody slid her arms around him as he moved in closer. Soon their bodies were entangled amongst the sheets. She couldn't resist, he was breaking down her walls.

The two made beautiful, passionate love right there in the rays of the sunshine. This was completely different than the night before, and it was bringing the two of them closer together.

Finally they climbed out of bed and made their way to the shower. As they washed up, there weren't many words spoken, but lots of stolen kisses and snuggles.

On their way to go and pick up Melody's interpreter she squeezed his hand, "So, have you told your parents about us?"

John nodded, "Yup, they know that I'm seeing an amazing girl that I can't wait for them to meet."

"And what did they say when you told them this girl you were seeing just so happened to be deaf?"

John looked away, "Well, I'm not sure…I haven't told them yet."

"WHAT? John, are you serious?" Melody replied exasperated. "Why didn't you tell them? This is something that needs a forewarning."

John held his hand up, "Let me explain, I didn't want them judging a book by its cover. There is so much more to you than just being deaf and I don't think you give yourself enough credit. So I didn't want them to sit and dwell and create their own fake imagery of you, I wanted them to meet you first."

"That's very sweet John, but this isn't something you can just spring on someone. Let alone a whole family. I had this whole conversation planned out in my head, but it all went out the window and I just blurted it out to you, and look at just how weirded out you were at first."

"Yeah for a minute. Then I got to know you, trust me they'll love you." John said reassuringly.

As they pulled up to the interpreter's apartment building, Melody's phone vibrated. "Shit! Violet's sick. She has the stomach flu and can't interpret for us."

"Seriously?" John replied. He knew damn well Melody would need an interpreter because if you get the family together, Melody would be lost. "Is there anyone else you could call? What about your dad?"

Melody looked at John, "My dad? Seriously? You've met my dad…do you think your family is ready to meet my dad yet?"

John thought about it for a minute, "Well…maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Then he could interpret and we could introduce our parents."

She looked at him skeptically, "Gee…moving a little fast? Remember, I'm not just any other girl."

John shrugged his shoulders, "Ok, so you're right…I've never been with a girl like you. But one thing I can promise you is a love that's true. And we know we have a connection. And we're willing to make a few changes in our lives to be with each other. So why not get the families together?"

Melody shook her head, "Ok, but I'm telling you that you're going to scare the crap out of your parents…or should I say that my dad will."

Melody text her dad to see if he would be willing to do it. As John sat there watching Melody text back and forth almost violently he could tell they were arguing. Finally she looked up, "Ok, he'll do it."

"Is everything ok?"

She nodded, "Yeah, he was just in the middle of working on a project so he was going off on a tangent about it and I had to reel him back in and make him focus on what I was asking of him." Melody didn't want to have to tell John that Jim actually didn't want to do it because he felt they were moving too fast.

Finally they picked Jim up and headed to Boston, Massachusetts. They wouldn't have enough time for a tour of John's hometown of West Newbury just because of the house show timing allocations but that was ok. John was much more excited to have his family meet Melody and her dad Jim.

A little over four hours later they pulled into John's favorite Waffle House. John took Melody's hand and Jim walked a step behind them. It almost looked as if Jim was Melody's bodyguard, he was wearing all black and his aviator sunglasses. Big black, leather gloves and his black leather duster.

John walked in and there was lots of cheering. Melody couldn't almost hear the cheering it was so loud. Then she realized it was only his family, there wasn't anyone else in the place. But there was a lot of them!

A woman came up to Melody and Jim quickly stood behind the woman so he could sign over her shoulder to Melody. "You must be Melody! I'm Carol, John's mom. It's so great to meet you." She said excitedly and very quickly.

Melody smiled and glanced over Carol's shoulder to read Jim's signs. "Hi Carol, it's very nice to meet you too." She replied.

Carol hugged her and then called John's dad over. "This is Melody."

John Sr. smiled and first shook her hand and then hugged her, "It's so nice to meet you Melody, I've heard a lot about you."

Melody smiled, "It's nice to meet you too. John's told me a lot and I saw you guys on a couple of his dvd's. And I would like for you guys to meet my dad Jim."

Carol and John Sr were both a little shocked by Jim's appearance, but they smiled and exchanged greetings just the same.

John was shocked, all of his brothers and their families arrived too. Plus, his best friend Matt Sullivan was there also.

John whistled very loudly. Then he climbed up on a chair and grabbed Melody's hand and pulled her up on another chair. "Ok everyone, first off, thank you for coming. It means the world to me. I'm going to do one massive introduction, then we'll have some lunch and we can all get to talking."

As John spoke, Jim signed every word to Melody. Melody was relieved she had someone to interpret for her, there was such a large group.

John began to sign as he spoke, "Everyone, this is my girlfriend Melody. Melody, this is my family. My mom Carol, My dad John Sr, My brothers Dan, Steve, Matt and Sean. And that's one of my best friends' Matt, and my cousin Marc. Guys, this is my girlfriend Melody. She's from New York originally and yes she is deaf. She can speak, but she cannot hear you. Her dad is here to help interpret for her, but she can read lips also. Please just speak a little slowly and make sure you get her attention before you start talking away to her or she won't know that you're talking to her."

Melody stood there blushing many shades of deep red. She was so embarrassed. She was glad that John was being honest, but talk about being put on the spot!

John pulled Melody close and kissed her and they climbed down. Soon everyone was sitting around the tables and ordering food and were busy gabbing.

Marc walked over to John's chair and pulled him aside, "Are you fuckin' nuts? Why are you boinkin' a deaf chick?"

John looked at Marc astonished, "Excuse me?"

"Dude, you could date any chick out there. And you know Liz has been asking about you."

John held up his hand, "I know Liz has been asking about me. She's called me a few times. But I feel something amazing with Melody. And I have to be true to that right now. I've never felt this way and it's great."

Marc shook his head, "Yeah, it's called novelty. What do you think, you're gonna wife her? Have kids with her? Great, you'll be married to someone you can't go home and have a conversation with and have kids with someone who can't even hear them cry. Nice to know you're working on having a miserable future, good luck with that."

John's temper was reaching it's boiling point, "I'm going to say this one time, and one time only. You don't know shit about her, you don't know what it's like to be with her, and if you continue to talk shit we're gonna be beefin' now knock your shit off."

"You're right John, I don't know what it's like to be with her. I don't know what it's like to fuck a deaf chick. But I bet I could walk up behind her, kiss her on the neck and she wouldn't even know it wasn't you." Marc challenged him.

"This isn't a contest and if you touch her I'm knockin' your ass out. Now either be happy and supportive or get the fuck out." John said as he turned and stormed away.

Melody saw that John and Marc were getting heated. She was trying to catch John's eye so she could ask him if he was ok, but it wasn't working.

Everyone was coming around and introducing themselves to Melody and were pretty decent towards her. There was a lot of conversation that if it wasn't for Jim interpreting she would have been totally lost.

Carol and John Sr. went over to Jim and began talking to him. They were very interested in knowing about Melody's background.

Carol looked at Jim, "So, what was it like raising a deaf daughter?"

Jim shook his head, "I didn't raise a deaf daughter. She was raised hearing. She was hard-of-hearing until she was a freshman in college, then she lost her hearing altogether. I didn't want her being treated deaf."

"So how come you never got her a cochlear implant?" John Sr. inquired.

"Because there were a lot of side effects and she's been hesitant about getting one. I think she was trying to figure out if she would really need one or not." Jim replied a bit defensively.

"Do you honestly think that a deaf person and a hearing person can be together? Get married, raise a family?" Carol questioned Jim.

"John's on the road a lot, and he has a very demanding career, he's not going to be sidelined by having to babysit her at all, will he?" John Sr. inquired.

"Can she drive?"

"Can she live alone?"

"What happens if someone breaks in to the house?"

Jim had had just about enough. Jim finally held up his hands to the both of them, "Look. I don't know you guys from Dick and Jane. And I'm sure you want the best for your son. And I'm sure him having a deaf girlfriend is a worrying concept. But, what I do know is that Melody is a woman who has never let anything stand in the way of her achieving anything and everything she has wanted to do. And I've gotten to know John, and he seems like a very sincere young man who has a good head on his shoulders. There comes a time where you have to take a step back and let them pave their own road. Melody doesn't need to be babysat. And the same could be asked about John. If Melody is on the road, would she have to hold herself back to make sure that John isn't running around doing God knows what with God knows who. I know you guys are concerned and trust me, I am too. BUT…give them a chance." And he turned and walked away from the group and headed outside.

Soon John's parents had them each separated and were talking to them one-on-one. John's dad had John cornered and John's mom had Melody cornered.

"So, tell me about how you grew up. How come your mom isn't here to meet all of us?" Carol inquired.

Melody swallowed, "Well, my mom died when I was little. So that's why she isn't here. And we travelled a lot. So I've seen a lot of the world. It sounds like you had quite the house full with five boys."

"Oh yes. How many kids do you want to have?" She asked.

"Well, I don't know. I don't have a number in mind." Melody replied nervously.

"What about for a wedding? Do you know what you want?" Carol asked.

"Nope, I never really sat and dreamed about it." Melody confessed. "I always wanted my wedding to not just be MY wedding, but me and my husband to be's wedding. I feel both parties should have say."

Carol smiled. Melody sure was nice…but did she have to be deaf?

"So are you nervous that your kids will turn out to be deaf?" Carol asked without hesitation.

"Well…anyone can have a child that is deaf. But for me, my deafness is a result of my illness, not genetics. Both of my parents were capable of hearing. Even if John was to have a child with someone else, there's still a possibility that the child could be born deaf. But I don't look at deafness like a death sentence either. Being deaf you learn to be very aware of your surroundings and the world around you. Not to mention that the deaf culture is fascinating. So no, honestly I'm not nervous that my kids would be born with special needs because every child is a gift. And not something to be taken lightly." Melody replied back confidently. Knowing that her parents hadn't exactly viewed parenthood as a gift, Melody was always very headstrong about her stance on children.

Carol nodded and then heard someone calling her name and walked away. John walked up to Melody and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek, "Are you doing ok?" He signed.

Melody shrugged her shoulders, "I guess. What about you?"

"Well, my parents are being incredibly nosy, and probably overstepping their bounds, but I'm really glad that you and your dad are here."

Melody smiled, "Yeah, I saw Dad getting agitated awhile ago, and he stormed off outside. But now he's eating so he must have cooled off. So far I've talked to almost everyone at least a little bit."

John smiled, "Let's eat, we're going to have to take off soon."

Melody nodded and the two of them sat down by Jimmy and ate their food. Around the table people hollered out various things and they all laughed and talked. Jim interpreted a lot and even he came around and was smiling and laughing.

As they were getting around to leaving, Jim headed to the bathroom. John and Melody were saying their goodbyes to everyone when Marc walked up behind Melody. "Hey Johnny. Do you realize that I could stand here and call your girl a slut and a whore she wouldn't be able to hear shit?"

John turned around visibly pissed, "I warned you, shut your mouth before I shut it for you. You're not going to talk shit about my girl."

Marc shook his head, "I'm out. I hope you get your head out of your ass soon. All you're going to be doing as holding yourself back with this one."

John clenched his fists and turned around. He knew if Marc ran his mouth anymore he'd come to blows with him.

His brothers surrounded him and were talking him down. They let John know that they were there for him and supported his decision and would be more than happy to welcome Melody.

Melody was busy talking with John's best friend Matt and could see John getting heated but didn't want it to be obvious that she noticed. She made a mental note to talk to John about it later.

After all the goodbyes were said and hugs were hugged everyone loaded up the vehicles.

Melody looked over at John, "Who were you fighting with?"

"My dumbass cousin. He's always a prick when I start dating someone, I think he gets jealous that I won't be at his house playing video games on my days off." John replied angrily.

Melody turned around and looked at Jim, "Thanks for coming Dad. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome Melody." Jim said patting her shoulder.

"Did mom and dad bug you too much?" John asked Melody.

At first Melody hadn't been paying attention, so after making him repeat himself, she finally answered, "No. They asked me a lot of questions that I skirted around. And I think I might have been slightly bitchy when your mom asked me if I was afraid of having a deaf baby. But overall I think it went well."

John and Melody dropped Jimmy off at the airport and then rushed to the arena.

"So, do you think you could handle my family?" John asked Melody as he took her hand in his.

Melody nodded, "Yeah, they weren't that bad. It's their first time being around someone who is deaf. Trust me, this wasn't anything I haven't handled before. Your sister-in-law is really nice, and your other brothers' girlfriends were nice. Matt is a riot. Marc ignored me the whole time. Besides, if my crazy life hasn't scared you away, what makes you think your family would scare me away?"

John laughed, "So, can we get rid of the word trial and just be with each other?"

Melody smiled, "I'd like that."

They arrived at the arena and quickly found a parking spot. There were fans already lined up out back waiting to see if they could catch a glimpse or a picture or an autograph of their favorite superstar. As John turned the car off, Melody sat back and pulled out her phone to check her texts.

John tapped her shoulder, "Come on babe, I've gotta get in there."

"I know, but there are fans out there. I'll wait and come in later so they don't see us together." Melody replied.

"Why would you do that?" He asked curiously.

"Because I know how it is. You won't have to explain anything this way."

John leaned over and passionately kissed her. "Babe, you're my girlfriend. I'm proud to say that you're my girl. I don't care who sees."

Melody smiled and blushed, "Really? Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Now come on, let's go."

Melody got out of the car and right away the fans were questioning who she was, then John got out of the car and took her hand in his. He smiled and waved to the fans as they were walking in.

"I'm running late guys, I'll catch you on the way out." John said to the crowd as they walked past them.

Inside the arena, Melody headed to the green room as John headed off to go work out his match. She smiled to herself, today had been a really good day.

**Please read and review! Now that John will be in California shooting his new movie, what will it be like when they're together a majority of their time? Will it make them closer? Or make John realize just how different their lives are? And is the difference something they can overcome? Please read and review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**THANK YOU for your reviews! I really appreciate all of the feedback! **

The house show went great that night. Melody was finally catching on to wrestling and for the most part they were pretty nice to her.

John got out of the showers and found Melody hanging out with his family in the backstage area. John smiled to himself, she was really making the effort to fit in. He walked up and put his arm around Melody and one of his brothers, "So, what are you guys doing?"

"Figuring out what to do tonight. Mom and Dad are going to take off, but since we're all here, we should totally hit the town." Sean replied.

Carol and John Sr. said their goodbyes and took off. Marc was standing back making small talk with a few of the divas, he wouldn't hang out with the crowd as long as Melody was there.

"Well, we could take her to Brothers. We could go and have a few drinks and shoot some pool." Dan piped up.

"Dude, that's a sports bar, she's not going to want to go to a sports bar." Matt replied.

As they were trying to figure it out, Melody couldn't follow any of the conversation. Too many people were talking all at the same time and from every which direction.

John glanced over and saw that Melody was lost. Using fingerspelling, he asked Melody if she would mind going to a sports bar.

She signed back with a smile, "I love sports bars!"

"Guys, GUYS!" John exclaimed to get everyone's attention. "Melody loves sports bars, so we'll go down to Brothers. Shoot some darts, play some pool and have a few beers."

Everyone agreed happily and packed up their stuff. Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes decided to tag along. John was surprised to see Marc was still tagging along, but hopefully he could get Marc over his grudge and see Melody for the person she was first and foremost, not just the disability. Hell if Randy and Cody could move past it, why couldn't his own cousin?

On their way out of the building, sure enough there were fans waiting outside. "Hang on boys, I promised them I'd sign after the show since I was running late earlier." John said.

Melody took John's gear bag from him as he walked over to the fence.

As John was signing and posing for pictures, some of the fans were wondering who the new diva was. John smiled, "She's not a diva, she's my girlfriend."

"Are you going to become a diva?" They asked her.

But Melody had no idea they were talking to her. John waved and caught her attention, "_They want to know if you are going to become a diva._" He signed to her.

Melody's eyes opened wide as she shook her head, "_Nope, no wrestling for me_." She signed back. Melody figured if she only signed and didn't speak then they wouldn't question John so much.

John turned back to the inquiring fans, "Nope, no wrestling for her." He replied.

"Whoa…your girlfriend is deaf?" A few asked.

John nodded, "Yup." And he continued on finishing up. He didn't give out her name or anything too specific. He felt her privacy was hers until they had that talk.

Finally he left and they all headed over to Brothers bar and grill. They all filed in. All of the Cena brothers with their significant others, Marc, and then Randy and Cody.

They found a place to sit and they all ordered beers and then a few orders of wings and fries. Everyone started conversating. Melody looked around and smiled. It was nice to be out with John's friends and family. She might not be able to follow everything but it was still a good time.

Once the food arrived everyone was chowing down. Then it was on to the games. Everyone was standing around the pool tables and picking teams. John winked at Melody, "_Want a drink_?"

"_Soda please_." She signed back with a smile.

John kissed her cheek and walked off towards the bar.

Marc looked over and narrowed his eyes as he watched John walk away. He just knew that Melody was going to flirt around with other guys and hurt John. Then she'd pout and beg forgiveness blaming it somehow on her deafness. That's when the lightbulb went off in his head. He knew what he needed to do to prove to John that dating a deaf chick was just going to hurt him in the long run.

Melody was leaning up against the table talking to Randy and Cody. She was laughing and not paying attention.

Marc walked up behind her and grabbed her ass.

Melody jumped, turned around and with all of her might decked whoever was behind her. She knew those weren't John's hands.

John was on his way back to the group when he saw Marc drop…then saw it was Melody who knocked him out. He rushed back.

"Ow…fuck! What the hell was that for?" Marc angrily hollered at Melody.

Melody glared at Marc who was laying on the ground holding his jaw. "Why did you grab my ass?" She asked angrily.

"How did you know it wasn't John?" Marc asked as he rubbed his jaw. For a chick she had a helluva punch.

"What the hell is going on?" John demanded.

"She knocked Marc the hell out." Cody exclaimed.

John looked at Melody with a confused look on his face, but before he could say anything Melody held up her hands, "He grabbed my ass. I didn't know it was him, I just knew it wasn't you."

"How the hell could you tell it wasn't John?" Marc demanded again.

Melody was looking at John so she didn't see that Marc was asking her a question. John repeated, "How did you know it wasn't me?"

"Your hands are bigger and stronger." Melody replied. "When you're deaf you have to become more in tune to your surroundings, so I read people's body language, and I know the way your hands feel."

John shot Marc an angry glance, "And why the fuck were you touching my girl?"

"I wanted to prove to you that other guys would be feeling her up, and she would just think it was you." Marc replied as he got up off the ground. "Where the hell did you learn to hit like that?" Marc asked Melody.

"I'm a pretty girl from New York who happens to be deaf. If you can't defend yourself you're gonna be a victim." Melody replied as she shook out her hand.

"You owe her an apology and then I think you should leave." John said sternly to Marc.

"Dude, I'm just trying to make you see that screwing a deaf chick and dating one are two totally different things. The deck is stacked against you." Marc argued back. "I'm doing this to help you."

"Fuck that, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but apologize and take it somewhere else." John hollered.

"Look, I'm sorry I'm grabbed your ass." Marc said to Melody. "But if you hurt my cousin, look out."

Melody shook her head, "You know, we don't have to be enemies."

"Prove it." Marc said as he turned and walked out of the bar.

No one really knew what to say. Melody felt so embarrassed she could cry. She felt like she was building a wall between John and his cousin. So she excused herself and walked off to the bathroom.

John looked at his sister-in-law Debbie, "Deb, will you go check on her?"

She nodded, "Sure thing John." And she headed for the ladies room.

Marc was pissed as he walked to his car. He pulled out his phone and sent John's ex-girlfriend a text. "John's at Brothers with the Cena clan. You should go and visit and show his new deaf girlfriend what she's up against."

Liz text him back right away, "Good timing, I'm next door. I'll head over now."

"You don't fuck with Trademarc bitch." He said angrily as he floored it out of the parking lot.

**Uh-oh….what's going to happen when these two ladies come face to face? Please read and review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**LOL! I'm glad you guys liked the feisty side of Melody! Please continue to read and review!**

John's other sister-in-law Alice grabbed Wendy and Mindy and they all headed off for the ladies room. She figured Melody could use all of the support she could get. Especially from the women who have been married to or are currently dating Cena men. The family could be intimidating.

John racked up a game of pool and the guys began to play. John knew that Melody would be in good hands with Debbie and the girls.

Soon John felt someone wrap their arms around his waist from behind and then the hands slid up to cover his eyes.

Randy nudged Cody, "Look what the cat dragged in."

John smiled and reached back and rested his hand on her hips, "Are you feeling better baby?"

She nodded his head yes.

As John's brothers nudged each other and shook their heads and rolled their eyes, nobody said anything out loud.

Melody walked out of the bathroom with the girls. They had really helped to cheer her up. She still felt bad about the whole thing, but she'd have to talk to John about it.

As they were walking up to the pool table, Melody looked shocked as she saw some brunette all over John and he had his hand on her hip playing games.

"Has John ever mentioned Liz? The bitch who likes to play games with John's heart?" Alice asked Melody.

"Barely. We haven't really had the ex talk yet. But I've heard enough to be dangerous." Melody replied.

"She's here." Wendy chimed in.

"She could use what you just gave Marc." Mindy said with a smile. She was the feisty one.

"Well, I would rather not go to jail. And I'd rather not have John thinking I'm a psycho who can't handle anything." Melody replied. She knew she had to keep her temper in check for now.

"Hey John, you didn't tell us that Liz was coming." Mindy called out as she glared at Liz.

"Liz? What?" John replied startled. He turned around and took a few steps back. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I knew that there was a show in town, and you guys always hang out here, so I thought I'd stop over." Liz replied with a smile. She reached out and hugged him. "How've you been doing?"

John looked to see if Melody was there, and she was in the middle of Debbie and Alice with Wendy and Mindy close by. He held his hand out to Melody, and then signed to her, "_This is Liz_." He turned to Liz, "And this is my girlfriend Melody."

Melody smiled, "_It's nice to meet you_." She spoke as she signed.

Liz looked at John with a very confused expression, "You're dating a deaf girl?"

"I'm dating a wonderful woman who happens to be deaf." John replied. "But tonight is a get to know the family night, so I'll see you around."

Liz looked shocked. She had a whole plan of action in mind, but seeing Melody in person made her realize that her original plan wasn't going to work…so she'd have to go with plan B. "Well, I'm close to being part of the Cena family. You are one of my best friends. And just because we didn't work out as a couple doesn't mean we can't still be friends. Let me have some girl time with Melody. We could become good friends."

John smiled. "That's really sweet Liz. Tonight is just family though. Maybe next time."

Liz smiled and nodded. As John took Melody's hand and walked over by Randy and Cody Liz turned and looked at Melody with a fake smile, "It was nice meeting you."

Melody returned the fake smile and waved and watched as Liz walked away.

Liz was quite happy that she had gotten the ball rolling. First she'd be so nice to Melody in front of John, then she'd warm her way back into John's heart once he realized he could have so much more with her.

The rest of the night went pretty smooth. They played pool and then darts. The girls hung out for awhile and when Melody could keep up she found out a lot about Liz and her manipulating ways.

As they said goodbye to John's family lots of hugs were given. Melody drove the boys back to the hotel. They all said their goodnights and parted ways.

Melody slipped into one of John's shirts and crawled into bed with him. She sat up and faced him, "_I'm really sorry that I punched your cousin_."

John smiled at her reassuringly, "It's ok. He shouldn't have been touching you. I don't care what he thinks he was trying to prove. He went about it in a douchebag way and he needs to back off. But I do have a question for you."

"What's that?" She asked.

"When we are out, if someone asks your name, are you ok with me telling them?" John asked her.

Melody took a deep breath, "Kind of. That's another thing I haven't quite talked to you about yet."

John looked at her confused, "If you want your privacy, you just have to say so."

"No, no it's not that. Remember the talk we had about my childhood? Well, not once have you ever asked me about my last name or my whole name."

"I just assumed it was Steinman like your dad." John replied.

"It is legally…but not publically. When my mom had me, since she was paid off I was put into her name. So on my original birth certificate my name read Melody Jimea Cuollet. My middle name was made up of some of the letters from Jim and Meat. When my grandparents died and he got my birth certificate, he was damned if he was going to have his daughter with a middle name that nobody could read. So then I became Melody Lynn Steinman. But, dad didn't want anyone to know that he had a daughter. Dad likes his privacy and doesn't let anyone into his private life unless they're very close to him. So the only people who know me as Jim's daughter are people I've lived with or Meat's musicians and a few of my friends. When I'm performing I go by Melody Cuollet. You'll never see me go by Melody Steinman because it would be too easy to figure out. Plus, I've been a substitute back-up singer for Meat a few times and with a last name like Steinman it would be too easy to link me back to dad."

John shook his head, "Can your dad ever just be proud to have an amazing daughter like you? I don't get it. I just can't wrap my head around this. Your dad keeps you so in the closet that he doesn't even let you claim his last name?"

Melody looked a little shocked at John's outburst. "I have used Steinman. I did in school. I just don't anywhere in public."

"What about on Facebook?" John asked.

"Cuollet. That way I can be friends with dad and no one will try to put the pieces together." She said softly.

John held his hand up and continued to shake his head, "It's your life not mine. I'm sorry. I just, I don't get it."

Melody sat closer to John and took his face in her hands, "My dad's a complicated man. I take the little victories and I know how he values his privacy. And, in a way, it's to protect me too."

"Alright, fine. So if I introduce you to anyone, I should introduce you as Melody Cuollet. Not Steinman."

Melody nodded, "Yes please."

John settled into bed and turned off the lights. Then he held Melody close. She curled up with her head on his chest. He laid there lightly rubbing her neck and shoulders. John began talking to her about what was going to be going on the next day.

Melody lifted her head and turned the light back on and looked at him, "Were you talking?"

At first John was confused, then he remembered…it was bedtime. She didn't have her hearing aids in and she couldn't watch him talk in the dark and when she was laying on his chest. He nodded, "Yeah, I was just telling you about tomorrow."

"Sorry, what did you want me to know?"

John shook his head, "Nothing much, Just that I'm going to hit the gym early so we can make our flight. Do you mind?"

"Nope, go ahead. Unless you want me to go with, then I'll go do some cardio."

John looked surprised, "You'd want to get up early and go hit the gym with Randy and I?"

"If it's guy time, then no worries. But otherwise, sure! I haven't been jogging in three days, I feel mooshie."

John laughed, "No, it's fine. I'll get you up when I wake up."

Melody kissed him sweetly, "Sounds good, good night honey."

John kissed her back, "Good night babe."

Melody turned the light off and settled back in on John's chest. John laid there in the dark making a mental list of things he needed to remember that he couldn't do with her. Such as having her answer a phone, talking to her in the dark, whispering things into her ears. Flirting with her was a whole new ballpark.

Then he started to think about how nice Liz was at the bar. It was definitely a different side of her then he had known…it was a nice change. Maybe they would be able to be friends?

The next morning they got up and grabbed Randy and headed to the gym. When Melody came out of the locker room Randy's jaw almost hit the ground. She was wearing a pink and grey sports bra with matching jogging shorts. She had her hair pulled up in a messy bun and she put on a pair of headphones that looked like something Dr. Dre would dj with. Then she got up on a treadmill and began jogging. She was jamming to something.

"Dude, are you ogling my girlfriend?" John said playfully slugging Randy.

"Damn…if I wasn't married and she wasn't your girl…" Randy said shaking his head and grinning. "You know, you did almost date my wife. We could set up a wife swap deal."

"Keep dreaming buddy." John said slapping him on the back. "Let's go."

A little bit later, Randy came up and playfully nudged Melody, "Hey, what are you listening to?" He asked.

She took her headphones off and handed them to Randy so he could listen. "Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, anything that gets me moving."

When he put them on, they were so blaring loud it actually hurt his ears…and he listened to metal LOUD. "Damn girl, you're gonna go deaf listening to music this loud." He said as he handed her them back.

She looked at him funny, "Did you just say I was going to go deaf?"

Randy thought for a minute and burst into laughter, "Nevermind. I'm leaving now. Before John thinks I ditched him."

Melody laughed as he walked away. She could only imagine what his wife and kids were like. And what he was like before he was married.

From the gym they headed to the airport and flew to the next show. After that show they grabbed a flight back to California. John was officially off for two weeks.

On the flight home Melody dozed off. Once it was safe to, John text Liz and told her it was nice to see her again and they'd definitely have to find a time for the three of them to hang out so she could get to know Melody.

Liz text back just how great that would be. Maybe sometime she'd come to a Raw taping and then fly home with him. Then after reading John's response that she had a good idea she smiled to herself. Her plan was unfolding. Now she'd start calling him once and awhile just to catch up on things…then she'd pop in for a taping and they could hang out for the day and actually just talk, not sign or any of that crap. Then she'd fly home with him and he'd see just how much more normal and perfect his life would be with "the new her" and he'd be all hers again. "And goodbye deaf girl." Liz said angrily. She knew Marc was going to put little bugs into John's ear also.

**Uh-oh…there's trouble brewing on the homefront. These next two weeks will be a preview of what their life might be like. Plus John will be getting all sorts of feedback on Melody from his family. Hmm….things are getting interesting! Please read and review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I LOVE LOVE LOVE your reviews! Thank you for the feedback and the comments! They make me smile! I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying this story!**

John and Melody got settled back in at home. John was busy working on the movie, and Melody was busy at her own job. During the two weeks, they took turns spending the night at each others' houses and continued to get closer and closer. Now John was back on his regular work schedule but had various days off for filming.

John had made a few friends on the movie set and they had invited him and Melody to join them out for dinner and drinks.

The night had gone well, but as the group began talking and laughing, Melody couldn't keep up with the conversation. John couldn't figure out why Melody was being so standoffish. And it was kind of upsetting him. He wanted to be accepted as an actor, not just a wrestler who was trying to act.

On the way home, they didn't say much. He pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. "Did you have a good time tonight?" John asked.

Melody smiled, "Yeah, it was great! The food was excellent and everyone seemed very nice."

"_If they seemed nice, then why didn't you talk to anyone_?" He asked sternly and signed so she'd definitely understand his frustration.

"_What? I did talk to everyone_." She replied with a confused look on her face. "_What do you mean_?"

"_When everyone was talking about different roles they've had and different stunts they've done. You just sat there. You didn't respond or anything_." He signed angrily.

"_I wasn't trying to be bitchy. I had nothing to say. I've never acted, and I've never done stunts. Besides, I couldn't keep up with the conversation. Everyone was talking from different sides of me, and I'm deaf. Just because I talk well doesn't mean my ears work. And there was far too much background noise for me to even try to hear anything. Why are you so mad? I did the best I can."_ She replied back with tears in her eyes.

John's expression softened. He did it again. He closed his eyes and shook his head, then looked her in the eyes, "_I'm sorry Melody. I didn't mean to get so mad. Why didn't you ask me to interpret for you?_"

Melody wiped her eyes, "_Because it's not your job to babysit me. You are the actor, you are the one who was in the conversation, not me_."

John leaned over and kissed her tear-stained cheek and then kissed the tip of her nose. He leaned in close to her ear and spoke loudly, "I'm so sorry Melody. I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me."

Melody nodded, "_It's ok. I'll be ok, will you be ok?_"

John nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Melody smiled and nodded. She grabbed her purse and opened her door. "_Are you coming in tonight?_"

John shook his head no, "Remember I have to be at the set at 4am tomorrow morning. So I'm going to go home and crash."

Melody tried to hide her disappointment in her nod, "Ok, then I'll text you tomorrow."

John smiled, "Sounds good. Dinner tomorrow night?"

Melody shook her head no, "No, remember I'm going out with the cast for Matt's birthday. You were going to see if you'd be done early enough to join us."

"Shoot that's right, and we're going to be working late. Text me when you get home and if I'm awake or home I'll come over and spend the night with you." John replied.

"Ok. Good night John." And she shut the door and headed inside. Melody was a little shook up from their first argument and was hoping John would have spent the night or at least snuggled a bit. She threw her keys on the stand and headed for the bathtub...it was a bubble bath kind of night.

John got home and plopped down in his chair. He text Randy to see what he was up to. He needed to vent about the fight.

Randy called him and the two sat on the phone for a bit going over the goings on of the night. Finally Randy stopped him, "Ok dude. What's really bothering you? Having a date who wasn't all up in the conversation isn't something that would normally piss you off."

John sighed, "I don't know. It's just…the other night I was talking to Liz about Melody and I. She was asking how everything was going and I just vented a bit. If the lights are off, we can't talk. If we're making out, I can't whisper anything into her ear because she can't hear me. I can't call her in the middle of the day just to hear her voice. She has a TTY machine at the house for phone calls and it's a pain. I feel like I don't really know where she's at with her feelings for me. I mean, I'm falling hard for this girl and there are times that I feel she has a wall up around herself and I'm only just starting to knock it down."

"She might be afraid that you can't handle the differences. She's probably had her heart broken before and maybe she's afraid that once she lets herself fall for you, you'll be gone. I'll tell you what. You said she doesn't seem to have many friends. Why don't you guys fly out to my place this weekend? Sophie gets along with everyone. We'll grill up some steaks, I'll put the closed captioning on my tv and we can watch some movies. We don't have the kids this weekend and I have it off so it'll be great. What do you say? Sophie will get her to confess her feelings about you." Randy offered.

"You know, that sounds great. We'll be there." John replied sounding much happier.

"Great! I'll let Soph know. She's been dying to meet Melody." Randy replied. "But I've gotta run. So let me know when your flight gets in and we'll be there to pick you up."

"Alright dude, later." And John hung up. He felt a little better.

The next day John text Melody about Randy wanting to have them out over the weekend for dinner and movies and did she want to go.

Melody text back that it sounded great.

John smiled as he put his phone away. He felt like they were going to be just fine after their little tiff the night before.

That night Melody was out with the cast and some of their friends. She couldn't keep up with everyone, but a couple of them knew ASL so she was able to still talk to someone for a bit. But overall she spent most of the evening out on the dance floor.

John had gotten home and wound up spending over an hour on the phone with Liz. They were talking about anything and everything and then got on the topic of the things he was having to get used to not doing since he was dating a deaf girl. She gave him some advice, but made plenty of mental notes for future reference.

Then Liz told John that she'd be in L.A. next week for business on and that they should get together for dinner and to hang out. She knew just what needed to be done.

John agreed and replied he was looking forward to it.

Melody had text John that she was home, but never heard a response back from him. But the real reason he didn't reply was because he was on the phone with Liz and didn't notice the text. She was a little bummed that they wouldn't be spending the night together just because now that he was back on the road they didn't get a lot of time together.

The next day John only had to be on set for a couple hours, so when he was done, he bought some flowers and buzzed over to the studio that Melody worked on. He knew it was almost lunch time. And he felt bad for missing her text because he was wrapped up on the phone with Liz.

He walked into the dance studio and found Melody working on choreography with the cast. The music was cranked up loud and Melody had headphones on.

One of the girls smiled when she saw John walk in. She waved her arm to get Melody's attention. "Your boyfriend is here." She signed to Melody.

Melody turned and smiled, "Hi honey!"

John smiled and waved.

"Let's go ahead and have lunch and then after your read through we'll pick up where we left off. Remember, only a few more days till we film!" Melody said to the group.

As everyone was walking out, Melody ran to John and hugged him, "Hi! Guess what?"

"Hmm…you missed me?" John replied with a smirk.

"Besides that silly. Think bigger."

"No clue, tell me." John said as he slid his arm around her.

"Pearl's in labor and is almost ready to start pushing. Wanna go see her and the baby tonight with me?" Melody replied happily.

"That's great! I'd love to. What time?"

"I'm done for the day at 5pm so I was thinking we could just head right over and then grab a bite to eat on the way home, if that's ok."

John smiled and began to sign, "_Sounds good. I'm going to hit the gym, get cleaned up, then I'll pick you up here and we'll go from there. Can you leave your car here while we're out of town?_."

Melody grinned; his signing had come so far. She was really proud of him, and it meant the world to her that he was willing to learn. "_Yup I sure can. And I'll see you at 5_."

They kissed sweetly and then John handed her the flowers, "I saw these and I thought of your sunny smile."

"Aww..thanks hon." Melody said as she sniffed them. She walked John out to his car and then headed back inside to finish her day.

By the time John and Melody arrived at the hospital, Meat and Deb were there, Patti was there and Pearl's husband Scott was there.

Melody greeted everyone with hugs and various signed greetings. She introduced John to everyone and smiled as Pearl laid the little bundle of joy in her arms.

"Oh Pearl, he's absolutely precious." Melody said as she looked him over.

"He's three weeks early, but he still weighed six pounds and nine ounces." Pearl replied.

"Wow. And he's healthy otherwise?" She asked.

"Yup, he's doing great." Pearl said with a proud but tired smile.

John was talking with Meat and Scott as Melody was talking with Pearl, Patti and Deb.

Patti looked at Melody, "You know, we're doing a show in Las Vegas on your golden birthday. The other back-up singer didn't work out. You should come out and join us."

Melody smiled, "_Wow that would be great. But I don't know that Meat would want to take a risk like that. Vegas is usually a big crowd_."

"Is John planning anything special?" Deb asked.

Melody shrugged her shoulders , "His schedule is kinda chaotic so probably not. We'll probably wind up doing something on his days off."

"_How are you guys doing? Is he Mr. Right?_" Patti signed to Melody.

Melody giggled, signing while holding a baby was a bit complicated. She handed the baby to Deb and signed to Patti, "_We're doing good. There are a few bumps in the road, but overall it's good_."

"_What kind of bumps_?" Patti asked.

"_Well, he's learning sign language, so I can't get into details, but let's just say that we're doing ok and I'll give you details the next time we talk_." Melody signed back.

Patti nodded and hugged her.

John smiled as he watched Melody signing with Patti. He also really liked how happy she looked holding a little baby. God he was falling for this girl…there were so many times he wanted to tell her that he loved her. But he was afraid of her response.

When Melody got the baby back John went over and sat down by her. "How does it feel to hold a baby?"

She blushed, "It feels good. I told Pearl that I'd love to babysit sometime. But I'd have to either have someone stay with me or she'd have to help me make a few baby purchases so I can equip the house."

"What do you mean?" John asked. "Are you nervous about being alone with the baby?"

Melody grinned, she loved how naïve he could be from time to time. "No, I wouldn't be able to hear him cry. So I'd have to buy a monitor that lights up, and I'd have to find out what to use in the middle of the night to know that he woke up."

Meat looked over at Melody, "So are you ready to make Jimmy a grandpa?"

Melody blushed deeply, "Not yet. Nice try."

Meat laughed and turned back to Scott.

John and Melody sat together and held hands when she wasn't holding the baby and had a great time talking and laughing with everyone. Patti played interpreter when people were talking too fast for Melody.

As they left the hospital, John looked over at Melody, but she looked lost in thought. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, just lost in thought." Melody replied.

"Thoughts about what?"

Melody bit her bottom lip, "Maybe it's time for me to do some research on cochlear implants. I know they're not a cure-all. And I know they're not a miracle, but if they could help me more than a hearing aid, then they're definitely worth looking into. But I'm going to be thirty in a couple weeks and soon I'll be too old."

"Babe, I'll support you no matter what you decide." John said squeezing her hand.

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks hon. Hey, I have a question for you."

"What's that?"

"I know that you don't know what you'll be doing on my birthday, would you be horribly upset if I sang back-up at Meat's show in Vegas that night?" Melody asked cautiously.

John looked over at her, "Did he offer?"

"Not exactly. Patti asked me. I don't know yet if Meat would go for it. Vegas is a big crowd. But it wouldn't be the first time, and I have plenty of time to prepare. Plus once the show is filmed next week, my work is over on the tv show and then I have to figure out if I'm going to stay here or if I'm going to go back to New York." Melody replied.

"I think it would be a great way to turn thirty. Go for it. We can always do something after the show or the next day or whatever. If I can get it off, I'll see how much of my family would want to fly out and see the show." John said happily.

Melody leaned over and hugged him and kissed his cheek, "Thanks John. I'll tell Patti it's ok for her to see what Meat would think."

They grabbed Chinese takeout and headed back to her place. The next day they were flying out to Randy's. And that night for the first time in a long time, John ignored Liz's text.

**What will the weekend out at Randy's be like? And with Melody's birthday coming up and contemplating cochlear implants there's a lot on the horizon….BUT what about Liz's visit? Please read and review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**YAY! We have a new reader/reviewer! Thank you for the reviews! Enjoy!**

John awoke the next morning with a smile on his face. Man he loved waking up next to Melody. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. He kissed her neck and nuzzled her a bit. "Mmm…good morning my love." John said to her. Then he stopped, he just referred to her as his love…out loud. He rested his forehead on her shoulder blade and sighed. When would he get used to the fact that he could talk to her all he wanted when they were in bed and she wouldn't hear him?

Melody kissed his muscular bicep that was wrapped around her. She turned to face him, "Good morning handsome."

John smiled, "Morning babe." And he kissed her sweetly. "Are you ready for our weekend away?"

She grinned and nodded, "Yes I am. I'm very excited to have a couples getaway with your best friend and his wife."

"I'm going to hop in the shower, then we can head to the airport." John said kissing her again."

Melody bit her bottom lip and looked into his eyes, "John?"

"Yeah?"

"Make love to me." She said in a whisper.

John rolled her onto her back and passionately kissed her.

Melody kissed him back lovingly. Soon their naked bodies were entwined within each other's. John's muscular arms held her tight as he took his time with each lingering kiss and each tender stroke. Together their bodies moved in perfect sync as he slid his throbbing cock into her deep, moist haven.

Melody arched her back and gasped in pleasure as John began to slowly slide in and out. She lightly traced her fingernails along his back and gripped his hips tightly.

John moaned as he thrust a little deeper and a little faster. She was like heaven in his arms. He nibbled her neck and French-kissed her as he loved her.

Melody watched him closely, she loved watching him moan, watching her name escape his lips. She just couldn't hear anything he said.

As they came together, they kissed each other hungrily and held each other tight. John lifted his head from her chest and looked into her eyes, "I love loving you."

Melody smiled and kissed him, "I love loving you too."

"I'm gonna hit the shower, wanna join me?" John sked.

Melody nodded, "Sure, I'll be there in a minute. I need to check my email and make sure everything is ok at work. "

John kissed her a couple more times and got out of bed. He headed into her shower.

Melody lay in bed and checked her email on her cell phone. It looked like everything was fine and all was ready for the big filming on Monday. She happily bounced into the bathroom. She felt like she was walking on air.

John smiled at her as she climbed in the shower, "_You are so beautiful_." He signed to her.

Melody blushed, "_Thank you. You're a very handsome man yourself_."

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. Then they washed each other and John took the initiative to shampoo and condition her hair.

John got out of the shower and headed to her room to get dressed. He had a drawer in her dresser that had a few items in it. Nothing major, but there was enough so he had clean clothes in case he needed them.

Melody's phone vibrated. John grabbed it and checked the message. It was a message from her dad. "Hey, have a safe flight to MN. Hope you and your man have a good time. Love ya."

John shook his head. He still couldn't wrap his head around the sense of family she was raised with. But, if it worked for her, then he really couldn't say much. There were times where he felt like maybe the lack of close family is what maybe caused her distance at times, but he wasn't sure and didn't want to assume and start a fight.

Melody turned off the water and got out of the shower. As she towel-dried herself off, she saw John's phone light up and begin to dance along the bathroom countertop. She grabbed it and was a bit shocked when she saw Liz's name staring back at her.

The message read, "Hey, never heard back from you last night. I can't wait to see you next week."

Melody shook her head and read it again. She couldn't help it, normally she kept her temper in check, but she was so tired of seeing Liz's name on his phone every time she looked. When she flew out to go to John's house shows, she always had to tell John that Liz was texting again. She grabbed his phone and stomped out to her room.

John turned, "Hey, we've gotta hurry, we're running late."

She held up his phone and tossed it to him, "Maybe you'd rather take Liz to MN instead of me."

"What? Why would you say that?" John asked surprised.

Melody shook her head and stomped back towards the bathroom.

John followed Melody into the bathroom. She grabbed her hearing aids and put them in and turned them on. "Because I can't take it anymore. Everytime I turn around Liz is calling, Liz is texting, Liz is wondering something. I'm not a jealous person, but I don't understand why you're talking to her more than me and I'm your girlfriend."

"_You're right, you're my girlfriend. And she is just a friend. It's not my fault that she can talk on the phone and you can't. She calls I answer. She texts, I respond. Why don't you trust me_?" John signed furiously as he angrily spoke.

Melody felt like she had been slapped in the face. "You're absolutely right John, it's all my fault that I can't talk on the phone. Whatever was I thinking. And yes I trust you. I wouldn't be with you if I didn't trust you. I just don't trust her."

John's face softened, he felt bad, "I didn't mean for it to come out like that Melody."

Melody shook her head, "They say that the truth comes out in the heat of the moment when you're too caught up to think before you speak."

John stood there silent for a moment. He didn't know how to respond.

Melody finally lifted her head, she was fighting like hell to not cry, but she was damned frustrated with the whole Liz situation. "Look, who am I to tell you who you can and can't be friends with. I'm going to go out on a limb and tell you the woman makes me nervous. I don't trust her at all."

"How can you not trust her when you don't even know her?"

"Because I don't want to know her because I don't trust her." Melody shot back. "I can read people. I can tell if someone is toxic and TRUST ME, that girl is worse than toxic."

John reached out and put his hand on her arm, "_Melody, You have no idea just how much you mean to me. I am falling in love with you. But I can't read you. I don't know where you're at , I don't know how you feel. I feel like there's still a wall up that I haven't been able to break down yet_." He signed as he spoke to her.

Melody felt goosebumps, she knew he liked her a lot, but to hear him say that he was falling in love with her was a dream come true…but it was a dream that was also a bit scary. She had been living in denial just how much she felt for him. At this point she hadn't told a soul her true feelings. She looked up, with an almost defeated look on her face, "_You speak the truth. I do have a wall up, I'm so scared that if I admit to myself that I'm falling in love with you I'll lose you_."

"Why do you think you'll lose me?" John asked softly.

"Because you'll realize that being with me is hard. And I have a tendency to lose the ones I love." She confessed.

"Baby, no one said this was going to be easy. But I don't want to give up just because it's hard. I'm not going to go off and be stupid because another woman can talk on the phone. And because her and I have a history and she knows me better. And I don't know what you've been used to, but I'm not going anywhere. My heart belongs to you…if you want it." John said slowly and he spoke directly to Melody as he held her hand. There was no way he could sign all of that.

Melody took a deep breath, and looked into his piercing eyes as tears trickled down her cheek, "I'm going to go out on a limb here. I don't do good with being vulnerable, but I trust you. I look at you standing here looking at me. The ways you've changed my life, my world as I know it, you'll never know. You're always on my mind. The love that we make is something that I always thought only existed in fairy tales. I'm a complicated individual, but you make everything simple. John Felix Anthony Cena, I love you."

John leaned in and kissed her lovingly, "I love you too. And I swear to you there is NOTHING that you have to worry about. Liz and I are over. There is no need to worry."

Melody nodded and held him, "Ok. I believe you. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pick a fight."

John held her close, even though they just had made their way through a pretty major fight, he found relief that they made it through in one piece. And now they had both confessed their true feelings for one another.

Melody sniffled and bit her bottom lip, "_So just how late are we now?_" She signed with a bit of a smirk.

John looked at his watch, "if we leave this second and make it, it would be a miracle."

They both jumped up, Melody quickly got dressed as John brought their bags out to the car. Melody grabbed her make-up bag and a handful of hair clips and bobby pins and ran to the car.

John drove Melody's car as she did her make up and her hair. They arrived at the airport and due to the flight being delayed, they actually made their flight.

**Melody's temper finally peaked…do you think John is being blind about Liz's intentions? Or maybe he'll start to question her motives a bit more? Melody never did ask about Liz being in town next week….while Melody will be busy with the filming of the show…Please read and review!***


	14. Chapter 14

**THANK YOU for the wonderful reviews! Hope this chapter finds you guys having a wonderful weekend! Please continue to read and review!**

"DUDE!" Randy exclaimed as he spotted John walking through the crowd.

John laughed and shook his head. He looked at Sophie and signed, "_He's a dork_."

Melody burst out laughing. "I see you're learning insults, that's great."

John laughed and playfully spanked her.

While Randy high-fived and bro-hugged John, Melody smirked, "Gee Randy, why didn't you yell my name through the crowd?"

"I only did that once, shush." Randy replied giving her a hug. Since Melody flew out almost every weekend, he had gotten to know her pretty well. "Anyways, this is my wife Sophie. Sophie, this is Melody."

Sophie smiled and gave her a hug, "It's so nice to meet you! I've heard a lot about you."

Melody smiled, "I didn't see what you were saying while you were hugging me, but it's nice to meet you too. You have adorable kids!"

Sophie blushed, "Sorry, I forgot. And thanks!"

"Don't worry, everyone does. Even John still forgets. Just remember, speak to me and speak slowly." Melody replied with a smile. Sophie seemed very nice.

Sophie gave John a big hug, "Hey Johnny."

He hugged her back, "Hey Soph. How's everything going?"

Sophie nodded, "Really great. And it sounds like things are going good for you too?"

John smiled, "Yes, they definitely are."

Randy clapped his hands together, "Alright, let's get out of here. We are kid-less till we drop Melody off at the airport on Sunday morning let's get this weekend started."

The four of them walked through the airport and out to the ramp. They all climbed into Sophie's SUV and took off.

First they headed for the Mall of America. They did some shopping and ate lunch at Hooters (for the guys of course).

From there they headed over to Ikea and walked around.

Melody looked at John, "_Oh my God I LOVE this store!"_ She signed happily.

John laughed, "_Are you getting ideas?_" He signed back.

Sophie nudged Randy as she watched the happy couple signing back and forth, "Wow Randy. He looks so happy with her."

Randy laughed, "Yeah, that guy is crazy in love with her."

"It's nice to see him happy after what happened with Liz and all." Sophie replied.

"Yeah, but Liz has been all buddy-buddy with him, and it's driving Melody crazy." Randy said quietly.

"Are you serious? Why is he even friends with her after what she did to him? She slept with his cousin at their house." Sophie whispered.

"Because John is a nice guy. He feels she's changed and truly wants to be friends. I think it's a bunch of shit and she's going to cause major issues, but what do I know?" Randy said squeezing her hand. "I just hope he's careful. Melody won't put up with it."

Sophie didn't say anything else. She knew she wanted to let Melody know that she could vent to her if she needed though. Sophie knew John wouldn't do anything stupid because he knew what it was like and he had been there for her when Randy had cheated on her, but was he really that blind?

"Finding ideas?" Randy asked Melody.

"Kind of. I'll be done in L.A. after next week, so I'm working on figuring out what I want to do next so I can figure out where to house hunt." She replied.

The wheels in John's head were spinning. He was a bit nervous as to what she would wind up deciding to do. Part of him wanted to ask her to move in with him, even though they had only been together a little over two months. They could easily live in his Miami house, and he would be more than happy to accommodate her needs by installing the equipment she used, but he wanted to bounce the idea off of someone. Plus, he didn't know if she'd even want to move to Florida. That was something they hadn't really talked about.

"What's your style?" Randy asked.

"Modern yet comfy. It depends on if it's a house, a loft, a townhouse or a barn. It depends on if it's in the city, or somewhere else." Melody replied with a smile. "Yes I'm complicated."

John put his arm around her, "Nah…not complicated. You just know what you like and how you like it."

Sophie smiled, "I agree with you Melody. If you were living in New York City, you wouldn't want to decorate with a country theme. And if you were living in the country, your house wouldn't look like a Manhattan art gallery."

Melody smiled, "Exactly!"

As the guys started talking about something, Sophie and Melody wandered off. Sophie looked at Melody, "So, have you and John talked about the future yet?"

Melody shook her hand back in forth, "Kind of. Briefly. I mean, we've only been together a little over two months, but we know we love each other."

"Ok, here's what we're going to do. Tonight we're going to set the boys in the man cave and we're going to have girl time with a bottle of wine." Sophie said happily.

Melody giggled, "Ok."

They met back up with the guys and finished up. Then they headed back to Randy and Sophie's. For dinner they wound up going into Pizza Ranch and having their pizza and broasted chicken buffet. Then they headed back to the house.

"Ok guys. Tonight is girl night/boy night. You guys go take over the man cave, and Melody and I are going to take over the hot tub." Sophie announced.

And sure enough, they got home and the girls slipped into their swimsuits and grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. They got comfortable in the water and began to get to know each other.

Finally Sophie looked at Melody, "Ok, spill it. Tell me about you and John. Have you guys talked about the future?"

Melody blushed a little, "Well…this morning was the first time we told each other we love each other. We had a big fight. Anyways, I know he wants marriage and kids. But, being with me makes things different. I'm deaf. His parents aren't a big fan of that, his cousin hates me, and his ex-girlfriend is driving me crazy."

"Yeah, Liz is a real piece of work." Sophie said leaning in close to Melody, "When she fucked Marc at their house in their bed, it killed John."

Melody practically spit out her wine, "What? Liz slept with Marc?"

Sophie nodded, "Yup. That's what broke them up this time. The previous times were because she's a high-maintenance woman who's constantly bitchy. She didn't like his work schedule, didn't like Miami, didn't like anything he liked. But sleeping with his cousin…that's just wrong."

Melody shook her head, then told Sophie about the night at the club where Marc grabbed her ass and then her decking him and shortly after Liz showed up.

"I wonder if Marc called Liz." Sophie suggested. "If he really doesn't want you with John, he's going to use Liz. Liz used to be John's biggest weakness. But you've captured his heart."

Melody looked lost in thought for a moment. "Yeah, maybe. I don't know. I have never fallen so hard for someone, and I've been living in denial about it. My dad wasn't real happy, but even he likes John now and my dad hates people. But I worry because everytime I mention anything about deaf versus hearing being difficult or hard John just blows it off. I would rather John be open and honest with me. I'll be the first to admit that it sucks sometimes. We got into an argument because John thought I was being a bit snotty and standoffish because I couldn't participate in a conversation but I can't follow a large-group discussion. Once we talked about it, he was ok with it, he understood where I was coming from, but we never talked about it again. I feel like he's scared to admit things are a bit tough sometimes. And I'd rather him just tell me the truth."

"Right? Face it head on. Admitting something is hard is not saying it's impossible." Sophie replied in agreement.

"Exactly. And I don't trust Liz. At all. We got into a huge fight this morning about her. She always calls him and texts him and I finally blew up. I hate knowing that he talks to her more than me. And it's not that I don't trust him, It's that I don't trust her."

"Randy used to have a friend who was a girl. They were really close and everyone called her his work wife. They were always on the phone and texting and they hugged each other and I think they kissed on the cheek sometimes. I tried not to let it bug me, I thought I did pretty good with not overthinking it. But, Randy cheated on me with her. I didn't trust her either."

Melody's eyes got big, "Randy's cheated on you?"

Sophie nodded, "Yeah. More than once. But for some reason I couldn't stop loving him. And at one point I almost started dating John…But I knew I loved Randy and I was pregnant with his baby and I really didn't want to give up on the family I had dreamed of."

Melody looked shocked, "You almost dated John?"

Sophie nodded, "Don't freak out. We're good friends, but that's all. He was there for me through most of my pregnancy with Ellie because I was really sick and I borderline rebounded with him, but realized my heart belonged to Randy."

"What was he like with your pregnancy?"

Sophie smiled, "He was great. Total hands on and doting. You would have thought I was carrying his baby. Randy and I have had a lot of issues, but we're together forever. He's come a long way and I don't forsee him ever going back down the other road again."

Sophie nodded. She was surprised to find all of this out.

"So, back on subject. You mentioned moving. Have you guys ever talked about living together?" Sophie asked.

Melody shook her head no, "Not really. We've talked about things but never doing them together. But, my almost sister just had a baby and we went up and saw the baby and I got to hold him and oh my god it was amazing. I didn't have a normal childhood so I wasn't too sure how I'd do being a mom, but for the first time I could almost see it happening." She said with a big smile.

"Aww…that's great. John is SO good with kids. And I see he's learned sign language."

Melody nodded happily, "Yeah, he wanted to learn to make talking a little easier on me. And it's helped immensely. But what I worry about is him getting frustrated by things and not talking to me about them and then having a major blow out sometime."

"Now I have to ask the million dollar question. Have you ever thought about a cochlear implant?" Sophie cautiously asked.

"More now than ever. I think it would make a big difference, I know it's not a cure but it would help immensely. But I've always been scared. But my birthday is in two weeks and I think I might have a consult done after filming is done." She confessed. "I just think it would help things in the future."

"Well, Randy and I were living together after two months. Hunter started calling him daddy around two months. When we bought the house, I wound up quitting my job so I could dedicate my time to raising Hunter and being a wrestling wife. He was telling me he fully intended on marrying me at almost three months and gave me a promise ring. Shortly thereafter I was pregnant with our baby girl. So let me tell you, I know all about moving fast." Sophie recalled. "There was a lot of hell, but things are great now."

"I'm really glad that you guys made it through all of that." Melody replied.

The patio door opened, "Girls, are you playing nice?" Randy said teasingly.

"Of course." Sophie answered.

"Would you guys want to come in for ice cream sundaes?" Randy asked.

Melody looked a little lost. Randy turned and looked over his shoulder, "Dude, come sign to your girl."

John walked over to the door and signed "_Do you want to come in and have ice cream sundae_s?"

Melody smiled, "Yeah that sounds great."

So the girls got out and headed inside. After getting sundaes, they piled into the movie room. Randy put on a movie. Much to Melody's surprise John asked if they would mind putting the closed captioning on so she could enjoy the movie also.

About an hour into the movie Melody was fast asleep on John's shoulder. Sophie took this as her opportunity. "So John…tell us, what do you feel for Melody?"

"I'm in love with her." John replied confidently. "I absolutely love this woman."

Sophie smiled, "That's wonderful John, I'm so happy for you! I think she's a great girl."

"Thanks. Now I just have to get my family to come around to the idea." John replied as he shook his head.

"They're still not keen on the idea, huh?"

John shook his head, "No. My mom is horrified with the thought that Melody and I could marry and have kids. My dad's not too bad about it, but he seems to think that dating a deaf girl is a phase. My grandma even thinks this is the worst possible thing. My brothers don't care. Marc is absolutely pissed. Liz has been great about it. She lets me vent about things."

"What do you have to vent about?" Sophie asked.

Randy got up and gathered everyone's bowls, "Yeah and you know what I have to say about that."

"It's just nice to vent to someone who is a girl and who knows how I am about the things that I can't change."

"Such as?" Sophie pried.

John peeked to make sure Melody was still asleep. "Nothing major. Just the little things. Like…it's hard to remember that if we're cuddling and I talk to her, unless her head is on my chest and she can feel the vibration, she doesn't know that I'm talking. If we're laying in bed together in the dark, we can't talk. Just little things like that."

Sophie nodded, "Why are you venting to Liz and not being open and honest with Melody about it?"

"I don't want her to think that I can't handle it." John replied sheepishly. "It's nothing major and I don't want to worry her about it. So I talk to Liz. Liz is just a friend."

"I'm still confused. When did you become so buddy-buddy with Liz?" Sophie pried a little more.

Randy re-entered the room and sat down. He had to bite his tongue when he heard Sophie quizzing John on the Liz situation.

"When she showed me that she was quite capable of being just friends." John replied. "But I know that it's bothering Melody a little, so I need to back off a bit. But I think that if Melody would give Liz a chance she'd see that Liz is truly just being a friend."

Sophie couldn't resist, "So, be honest. Do you still have unresolved feelings for Liz?"

John shook his head, "No, maybe at first I thought I did, but I realized quickly that Melody is the only girl in my heart."

"Then cut the ties with Liz. She's out to destroy what you have so that you'll run to her when you're heartbroken and then she'll be the one to comfort you." Sophie said very point blank.

As John opened his mouth to speak, he felt something buzz. Melody stirred and pulled out her phone. She smiled and looked up at John, "Sorry I dozed off."

John leaned down and kissed her, "It's ok. Who woke you up?"

"Karla. She read on my Facebook that we're in Minnesota. So she was wondering if we would be in Missouri at all. So I told her not this time, but next time we'd stop and visit."

"_And who is Karla again?"_ John asked and signed.

"I lived with them for awhile. She was a back-up singer for Meat and dad." Melody replied.

"Gotcha." John said with a smile. He kissed her cheek.

After finishing the movie they all headed to bed. As Melody was climbing into bed, John waved to her, "Can we talk?"

"Sure, what's up?"

John sat down on the bed facing her, "So…after you get done filming. I was wondering if you have given any more thought to what you're going to do?"

Melody shrugged her shoulders, "Well, I promised a few of my friends in New York that I would hang out for a few days. And I told dad that I would come and visit."

John nodded, "Have I met these friends yet?"

Melody shook her head no, "No, they're my deaf friends. Why, do you want to meet them?"

"I'd love to." John said with a smile.

"Alright. Then I'll visit dad first, you can fly out after Raw and I'll introduce you to my best friend in the world and our little circle of friends."

"Sounds wonderful. I'll meet you at your dad's." John said with a kiss. "And I'll really study up on my signing over the week."

Melody laughed, "I know you'll do just fine. They're going to love you."

The two kissed a few times and turned out the light.

Saturday flew by. John and Melody started their morning off with a quickie and then headed downstairs. The four of them spent the day having a great time. That night they grilled steaks and had a bonfire. They made S'Mores and this time they all hung out in the hot tub.

Sunday morning Sophie and Melody surprised the guys by making breakfast. After breakfast Melody headed upstairs and began packing her stuff.

John walked up behind her and slid his arms around his waist. He kissed the side of her neck, "Hey babe. I wish you didn't have to go."

Melody turned and looked at John, "Besides being nice, do you know why I'm visiting dad next week?"

John then realized she didn't hear anything he had said. He had to remember that he couldn't do things like that with her. "Why?"

"I'm going to have a consult about getting a cochlear implant. I was wondering, since you want to come up to New York and meet my friends, would you want to come with me?" Melody confessed.

"You are? Is it something you want to do?" John asked. "I don't want you to feel like you have to because you're with me."

Melody put a finger to John's lips, "I've thought about it for awhile now. I think it would help a lot. But since I don't know for sure, that's why I'm going to the consult. And maybe if you came with me, you could help hear the details."

John smiled, "Wow Melody, that's really great. I would love to be there for you. When is it?"

"Next Tuesday at 11:30am. Downtown New York."

John nodded, "Ok, I'll book a red eye into New York and we can grab coffee and a bite and then head to the appointment."

Melody excitedly jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, "That means the world to me, thank you so much." She kissed him sweetly, "I love you."

John smiled and kissed her back, "I love you too babe."

He helped her finish packing and soon they were heading to the airport. There Melody hugged Randy and Sophie and thanked them for their hospitality. She had such a wonderful time hanging out with them. She was excited for next time when she would be able to meet their kids.

Many kisses and hugs later, Melody boarded her flight and John headed home with Randy and Sophie for the night. He was staying the extra day and flying to Raw with Randy.

On the flight home, all Melody could think of was just how lucky she was to have such a wonderful guy love her as much as she loved him. This week she was going to be tied up with the filming and she wouldn't be able to see much of John all week long. What worried her a bit was Liz had said to John via text that she was going to be dropping by to visit him. Was she right to be worried? Or just being paranoid?

**This week is going to be critical….and just what will happen when Liz makes her presence known? Please read and review! Have a great weekend!**


	15. Chapter 15

**THANK YOU for the wonderful feedback! I really appreciate you letting me know when you're hungry for more. Please continue to read and review!**

"Thanks for covering for me. I know she wouldn't understand that I need to do this." John said to Sophie as he packed up his stuff.

Sophie shook her head, "You're killin' me John. I feel like I'm helping you cheat on her."

"But I'm not cheating on her. I'm just hanging out with a friend for a few days."

"A friend that is driving Melody crazy." Sophie reminded John.

"Melody has never even given Liz a chance, so how she doesn't trust her already is beyond me." John said as he headed into the bathroom to pack up his toiletries.

"Maybe because your sister-in-laws filled her in about Liz and Marc. Maybe because she knows Liz left you heart-broken and there is a slight chance that there are some unresolved feelings that are still underlying that you're not even aware of yet. When the two of you get together and spend morning, noon and night with each other, you're going to know if you still feel something. I think secretly you're seeking closure. And if you're not careful you'll find it in the wrong way." Sophie replied.

John shook his head as he walked back over to his suitcase. "Sophie, I love Melody. I do. Yes there are some things that make loving her difficult and I know that I've been venting some of my frustrations to Liz, but that doesn't mean I want Liz back."

"I don't get it. I just don't get it. You finally find the woman of your dreams and yet you're spending almost a week with your ex. Christ John, cut the cord and send her packing. Vent to me if you'd like."

"Sophie, people change. Liz now knows the error of her old ways. She's a different person. And we're JUST friends. Nothing more. Thanks for your concern." John kissed her on the cheek and began to walk down the stairs.

"John, venting to Liz could just be feeding fuel to the fire. This could burn you."

"Thanks for the great weekend. Tell Randy I'll see him tomorrow. Kiss the kids for me." John said as he walked out the door. He hopped in his car and text Liz, "I'm on my way."

The phone chimed back, "Sounds good. Room 337 at the Radisson."

John set his phone down and drove to the hotel. When he arrived at room 337, he knocked on the door.

Liz answered wearing a little black dress. "Hi!"

John smiled and hugged her, "You look nice."

"Thanks. I got it at the Mall today." She replied. "Dinner reservations are in twenty minutes."

John nodded and walked in. He looked around the room and saw that there was a whirlpool tub in the room and there was one king size bed. "One bed?"

"Yeah they messed up my reservation so they comped us the King Jacuzzi suite for the price of the double."

"Gotcha." John replied as he set his suitcase down and unpacked his khakis and black button-down shirt. He quickly changed and put cologne on. "Alright, let's go."

They walked to the downstairs restaurant and were quickly seated. They began talking and laughing and ordered a bottle of champagne. By the time their meal came, they were ordering another bottle of champagne because they had gone through the first one already.

Liz looked across the table at John, "Alright, dinner's done. Let's just order dessert in our room and let's hit the hot tub."

John smiled, "That sounds like a great idea." When he stood up, he could tell that the champagne was starting to kick in a bit.

They got back upstairs and Liz was on the phone ordering a fruit tray with chocolate sauce and whip cream along with another bottle of champagne. Before long there was a knock on the door and Liz jumped up to get it. She brought the cart into the room and tipped the guy.

John headed into the bathroom to change into his swim trunks. Liz ran to the desk and set her laptop up and made sure that the webcam was pointed to the Jacuzzi. Then Liz grabbed her purse and ran to the Jacuzzi. She poured a little vial of white powder into the glass and filled it with champagne. She had an evil grin on her face, "He's mine bitch…and soon you'll see that." She quickly changed into her skimpy little bikini.

When John walked out, Liz had already set up the fruit and the chocolate and whip cream along the wall of the Jacuzzi. She handed John a glass of champagne. "To a relaxing night."

He smiled and clinked glasses with her. "To a relaxing night."

They climbed into the hot tub. John polished off his glass and refilled it. Liz watched him close and when his eyes started to look a little glossy she moved close to him with a strawberry that she had dipped in chocolate. "Wanna bite?"

John smiled and leaned forward to take a bite. He grabbed a piece of kiwi and dipped it in chocolate and fed it to Liz. Soon they were feeding each other and laughing. Both feeling rather buzzed began to get closer and closer.

"Oooh, babe will you rub my shoulders?" Liz asked. "I have knot and I just can't work it out."

"Sure, sit over here."

So Liz moved so she was sitting next to John and he began to rub her shoulders. She began asking him questions about his relationship. Such as what were the things that he missed out on since he was dating a deaf chick that his parents hated. As they started talking John made the comment, "It's almost odd to hold a conversation while you're facing away from me. I don't get to do that anymore."

Liz smiled and turned around, then she climbed on top of his lap, "I bet you don't get to do this anymore either." And she leaned in and kissed him.

At first John didn't kiss her back, but she shifted her hips a bit and John began to kiss her back. "Mmm….it's been awhile."

"I shouldn't be doing this." John said shaking his head.

Liz leaned in and began kissing his throat and bit at his earlobe. When John arched his neck and moaned a little. "I like the sound of that."

John slid his hands down the side of her and pulled her hips closer. He then untied her bikini top and flung it across the room. He leaned in and took one of her erect nipples into his mouth and began to suckle on it. He remembered that was something she liked.

She moaned and began to wiggle her hips. "God John…."

John switched to the other side and began to finger her.

Liz began to really move around. "John…take me to bed."

John nodded and lifted her out of the tub. He was really light-headed but He laid her down on the floor as to not get the bed all wet. He slide her bikini bottoms down and laid down on top of her and began to French kiss her.

"I want to sit on your face baby." She moaned.

John happily obliged. He laid down on his back and closed his eyes. Since they were by the desk she fixed the webcam so it would get them in the picture. She quickly sat down on his face and faced his hard shaft.

John began to teasingly lick and nibble at her clit. Liz leaned down and began to go down on John.

Finally John brought Liz to orgasm. And she made sure that everytime he made any kind of a noise she responded with a moan of her own. And when she came she called out his name. Then he grabbed a hold of her and laid her down. He started to get up to walk over to his bag when she grabbed his hand, "Come here and show me what you're made of."

John started to pull away but Liz began to massage his sack and that was the ticket to getting John back to his knees. He began to tip-tease her.

Finally Liz couldn't take it anymore, she grabbed onto his hips and slid her hips down so he was all the way inside her. John moaned and didn't hold back. He began to pump in and out. When he knew he was about to explode he pulled out and exploded onto the towel underneath him.

Liz was far too caught up in her second orgasm to even notice. John began to feel really nauseous. He got up and stumbled to the bathroom and cleaned up.

Liz took this as her opportunity to get up and save the footage and close her laptop. She quickly text Marc, "Mission complete. Deployment later."

When he came out he looked a little pale, "I'm going to go to bed, I don't feel good."

"Ok, let's go to bed." Liz replied and climbed into bed. John was so out of it he tripped getting into bed. He laid down and instantly passed out.

The next morning John woke up to his phone going off. It was a text from Melody, "I hope you have a great taping of Raw. Will you be able to Skype tonight? We're just about to start filming, so it'll be a bit before I get back to you. Love you! xoxo"

John groaned and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and saw the champagne and fruit on the Jacuzzi, he saw his swim trunks on the floor and saw Liz's bikini hanging from the curtain rod. He then realized someone was laying on him. He looked under the covers and saw that him and Liz were naked in bed together and they were legs were tangled in each others.

"FUCK." John said out loud as he slid out of bed. He rubbed his temples, he had the worst headache ever. Then he tried to think back to the night before, but couldn't wrap his mind around anything that happened. He remembered going to dinner, but nothing after that. And he still felt like complete shit.

He knew his alarm was going to be going off soon for him to get up and get ready to fly to Raw. He turned it off. He grabbed a pair of sweats out of his suitcase and threw them on. Then he gently shook Liz.

"Liz…Liz wake-up. We've gotta talk." John said almost frantically.

Liz's eyes fluttered open, "I'm up…I'm up."

"What happened last night? Did we…?"

"Did we what? What do you mean what happened last night?" She snapped. "Don't tell me that you don't remember."

John shook his head, "Liz, I'm…I'm sorry, I don't remember."

"What don't you remember? We went to dinner, we came back to the room, we had dessert, you gave me a massage, we talked about what's wrong with your relationship, we began kissing and then we had sex. You started to not feel good and we went to bed."

"Fuck…fuck…fuck. Tell me that you're kidding. Please…please tell me you're kidding." John replied almost in tears. "I couldn't have….tell me I didn't."

"Gee John….thanks a lot." Liz said angrily as she got out of bed.

"I'm sorry Liz, but I don't love you. I love Melody. She's my everything. The good, the bad, the ugly, none of it matters. She's the one I want to be with. What the hell was I thinking?" John started to ramble as he paced the floor. "Oh my God….what do I do? What do I tell her?"

"Tell her? TELL HER?" Liz screamed. "What am I John? Just some whore to you? You sit here last night telling me about what a wreck your relationship is and how you're growing further and further from your family because you're dating some deaf chick and now you're telling me you're sorry we slept together? You know what, fuck it. I'm done." Liz began to grab her stuff and shove it into her bag.

"Liz, I'm sorry. I don't mean to insult you, but I'm not a cheater. I don't love you anymore, my life belongs with her."

Liz held up her hand, "Save it Cena, I'm done. Don't call me anymore. By the way….you didn't use a condom either." And she walked out of the hotel room and slammed the door shut behind her.

John sat down on the bed and began sobbing. What the hell did he just do? Why would he throw it all away? Why didn't he remember anything? They were only drinking champagne.

He finally got in the shower and took the hottest shower ever. He wanted to get any evidence of him ever touching her off of him. He began to sob in the shower again and wound up puking a few times.

He quickly cleaned up the room and packed up his stuff. Liz had pre-paid for the room so he wanted to get the hell out of there. He raced off and headed to the airport.

When he finally spotted Randy, he waved. Randy walked up to him, "Dude you look like shit."

"I fucked up Randy….I fucked up big time."

"What? Why?" Randy asked.

"I slept with Liz last night."

Randy's eyes opened wide, "Wait a minute, you did what? Are you serious? What the fuck were you thinking? Dude, she fucked your cousin and wound up pregnant. Do you remember the hell you used to give me when I would sleep around behind Sophie's back? Tell me you wore a condom."

John shook his head, "I don't remember a damn thing about last night. We went to dinner and drank champagne, then I woke up in bed with Liz and Melody was texting me to have a good day."

"Holy shit dude…there's a first time for everything, but yuck. I wouldn't have slept with that dirty whore if you paid me…no offense." Randy replied with a repulsed look on his face. "Didn't she lose the baby?"

"She had an abortion so Marc's wife wouldn't find out. But I told her and that's why Marc is single." John replied. "Fuck…what am I going to do? And Liz said I didn't wear one."

"Dude, is Liz on birth control? I never used a condom with Christy, but I knew she was protected." Randy replied. "Well, the only way to make this right is to give me permission to sleep with Melody." He joked.

"NOT FUNNY. I need to figure out how to tell Melody." John said.

Randy shook his head, "You're not. Not now. Wait till you're together and face to face. Then be honest."

"I'm gonna get sick again," John groaned. "How drunk was I?"

"You were drunk enough to fuck Liz."

"NOT HELPING." John practically shouted at Randy as they headed to the gate. "I don't know what to say to Melody. I feel like she's going to just know."

"She doesn't even know you were with Liz, she thinks you were at my house." Randy reminded him. "Just play it cool for now. You need to act like nothing happened."

Once they were on the plane, John fell asleep almost instantly. He was not feeling good at all. He woke up to Randy shaking him, "Dude, we're here. Wake up."

John got up slowly. He had to shake this feeling. Raw was tonight and it was a big night for him and Rock and he couldn't screw this up too.

They got to the arena and checked in. John grabbed a bunch of waters and headed to the morning meeting. After the meeting Randy and John headed to the gym. John was finally feeling better. But he kept chugging the water to flush his body of all the alcohol he had consumed. Then they grabbed some lunch. After lunch they hit the gym for some extra cardio and then headed to the arena to work out their matches.

By the end of the night John and Randy determined that since John would now be going overseas for some footage for his movie for the remainder of the week it was best if he didn't say anything until he was face to face with Melody. He needed to talk to Liz also.

Randy was informed that instead of going overseas, he would be sent to Los Angeles for a few promotional appearances for his new DVD. He double-checked with John and decided he would drop in over there and see if she wanted some company and if she'd let him crash there. John told Randy that she'd be busy with a filming schedule.

"You know, if you let me have her for a night, it would soften the blow about you sleeping with Liz." Randy said with a laugh.

John shook his head, "You're married to Sophie. Don't you dare fuck it up and hurt her again."

Part of Randy was still thinking naughty thoughts about Melody. He could tell that Melody had a hidden bad girl side of her.

Randy arrived at her place Tuesday night. He saw her car was in the driveway and he walked up and rang the doorbell.

A few minutes later the door opened. There stood Melody in skinny leather pants, black high-heeled boots, a red lacy peek-a-boo top that showed her midriff and her belly button ring. She had her curly hair teased up into big curls and smoky make-up. Her lips were red and glossy. Randy could feel the stirring in his jeans the minute the door opened. "Surprise!" Randy said with a smile.

She looked startled, "Randy, what are you doing here? Come in."

"Well, I was sent to Los Angeles to do a few promotional appearances and I was wondering if I could crash at your place?" Randy replied slowly.

"_Oh, well yeah that's cool. I'm on my way out to celebrate being done with filming. And I got some great news, so I need a night out. Want to join me?"_ Melody asked and signed. It was now a habit since John really liked to watch her sign.

"I want a night in with you." Randy thought to himself complete with dirty thoughts. "Hell yeah I do. Give me five minutes and I'll be ready."

"_No rush, I wasn't meeting anyone. Just me_." Melody replied. She walked past him, "_Follow me to your bedroom." _

Randy watched her hips and shook his head to clear his mind of all of the dirty things he wanted to do with her. John had casually mentioned a few times that she was a wildcat in bed and Randy could only begin to imagine what he meant by it. He followed her up the stairs and down the hall.

She opened the door to the guest room. It was the same room her dad had stayed in. "_Here you go. Do you need anything?" _

Randy shook his head, "Nope, I'll be down in a few minutes."

"_Ok_." She signed and headed down stairs. Melody had text John she had some big news, but never heard back from him.

Randy came down in jeans and a black, fitted t-shirt. Melody bit her bottom lip for a moment. She couldn't resist, the man was also very hot and there was something sexy about his arrogant and cocky ways.

"I'm all set." Randy said bring Melody back down-to-Earth.

"_I was going to call a cab so I didn't have to be a sober driver, are you comfortable with that?_" Melody asked.

"Dumb question, how do you make a phone call?" Randy asked.

Melody smiled and sat down at her TTY machine. Then she made her call and requested a cab. Randy was pretty impressed.

"Ok, that was cool." He said with a smile.

"Want to know my big news?" She said with a sly grin. "We could toast to it and to a fun night out?"

"Let's hear it."

She grabbed out a bottle of Jack Daniels and a bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila. "Which one?"

"Do you work tomorrow morning?" Randy asked.

Melody shook her head no. "That's why tonight is live it up night."

"Then bring on Jose." Randy replied.

She poured them each a double shot, "You're looking at the newest back-up singer for Meat Loaf for the next couple months."

"No shit, really? What happened to Patti?" Randy asked.

"How do you know Patti?" She asked surprised.

"Dude, I'm a HUGE Meat Loaf fan." Randy said.

"She'll be there, I'm taking Pearl's place since she just had a baby."

"Nice! Congratulations!" Randy said holding up his shot glass.

The two clinked glasses and swallowed down the double shots of tequila. Randy looked over at Melody, "It's going to be a helluva night, isn't it?"

She nodded, "Yeah, it feels like it."

They wound up doing another double shot before the cab arrived. The cab took them downtown L.A. for their night out.

Randy and Melody wound up dancing and doing a few shots at each bar they stopped at. They bar hopped all along downtown. The two were having a great time and were quickly buzzed.

As they walked along, Randy took her hand and they walked hand in hand down the street. Randy noticed a karaoke bar. "Let's go in." He said to Melody.

"Why? I can't hear them sing." Melody replied.

"But we could sing." Randy said to her. "Come on…you're the back-up singer. I've got more to lose than you do."

She rolled her eyes and walked in with him. "But if it winds up on YouTube, do you really want everyone seeing this?"

Randy thought for a moment, "Good point. Different bar, but we're singing karaoke at your place when we get home."

"Deal." She said with a smile.

They bounced from bar to bar and drink to drink for another two hours. By the time they poured themselves into a cab to go back to her place, they were both very drunk. The thought of taking it easy and stopping when they were buzzed was out the window.

Melody paid for the cab since Randy bought most of the drinks. They stumbled up her driveway and got in the house and were both laughing like fools.

Randy went right for the cd collection as Melody went and poured them each another shot. Then she went into the den and came out with two microphones.

Randy smiled, "I found just the one."

"Ok, go ahead."

He put it on. And cranked up the volume. When the song started she realized that he had chosen a live version of "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" by Meat Loaf. She burst out laughing, "Do you think you can handle this song?" The song was about two teenagers about to go all the way in a car and the woman gets second thoughts. For the performance of the song, there's a middle segment that has the New York Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto giving a play-by-play and Meat Loaf makes out and gropes his back-up singer until she tells him to stop right there.

Randy stuck his tongue out at her and began to sing his part into the microphone.

Not to be left out, she sang the female vocals with everything she had.

Randy went over to Melody and began to slow dance with her. He was familiar with the live performance of Paradise she made note to herself. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Melody was surprised, but kissed him back. Then kissing turned into French-kissing. He grabbed her butt and slid his hands up to her chest and squeezed her breast.

Melody grabbed his butt and and squeezed his hips. The two ran their hands all over each other as they stood there making out with each other.

Randy slid his hand up the back of her neck and grabbed a handful of her curls and pulled them to expose her neck.

The motion sent shivers through Melody and she let out a moan as she held onto his shoulders.

Randy was quite surprised to hear her moan. To be honest he didn't know if a deaf girl could moan. But the moan definitely didn't help his hard cock…it actually made it worse. He moved from her neck back to her mouth and began to very passionately make-out with her.

The part of the "Stop right there" came and went, they were too far lost in the moment to notice. Melody already had pulled Randy's shirt off. Randy untied her shirt and began to slide it off.

Melody lifted her head and looked at Randy, "Randy, stop….stop. We can't do this."

Randy looked at her, "What?"

She shook her head and backed away, "I can't do this. You can't do this. You're married and you have such a great family. And I love John, I can't do this to him."

"Trust me, we'll be just fine." Randy replied as he pulled her back to him. "You have nothing to worry about. No one needs to know." Randy then stared her in the eyes, "I want to eat you and then I want to fuck the shit out of you."

As he started to kiss her again, Melody's eyes began to fill with tears and popped open, "Wait. Stop. Randy, I can't do this."

Randy looked up at her, "Melody…"

"You're married to Sophie. And she told me how badly it hurt her when you cheated on her. And I have John, and I love him. I'm sorry, but I can't do this." Melody got up and walked out of the room in tears.

Randy sat up and ran his hands over his head. He could hear her crying. The sound of her crying was killing him and killed his buzz. What the hell was he doing? "Fuck." He muttered to himself, he let himself get out of control again. He almost lost control. After beating himself up and getting lost in the songs for a few minutes, He finally pulled on his pants and headed upstairs to Melody's room. Her not coming back down was worrying him. He had to apologize to her.

Just as he was almost to her bedroom door he heard something hit the wall and sounded like something broke and the sobbing got very loud. He tapped on the door "Melody?" He called.

Then realizing she couldn't hear him he opened her door and found her wrapped in a bathrobe sobbing on her bed with her iPhone on the floor. He walked and put his hand on her back. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and smeared make-up. "He…he…."

Randy shook his head, he couldn't make out what she was saying through the sobs. He held her close.

She sniffled and lifted her head, "John lied to me. And you lied to me. He wasn't with you, John stayed in Minnesota so he could see Liz. Then he slept with Liz….he doesn't want to be with me anymore."

Randy's shoulders dropped, she looked so heartbroken it broke his heart. "Oh Melody. Why do you think that?

She pointed to her phone and started crying again, "The video was emailed to me. And Liz had John talking about how he's losing his family because he won't break up with me, about how he misses having a girlfriend that can talk to him in the dark and hear him whisper dirty things. After the video Liz appears and says that they've been trial dating to see if they were back to where they were and now they know for sure that they are."

Randy held her close and let her cry. Then he ran her a hot bubble bath and got her into the bathroom. He went to her iPhone and put the battery and the back on. The screen was cracked, but he was able to get it to turn back on. He went into her email and opened the message. Then he played the video. He was shocked. Liz had even gone so far to put closed captioning on it. It was a highlight video because it wasn't very long, but there was definitely footage from the hotel with the time/date stamp on it. Her on top of him in the Jacuzzi, their "69" session and then him having sex with her. At the end Liz came on basically belittled her for "taking him from his family" and "slowly destroying John's life" and she didn't hold back.

Randy heard the bathroom door open, "What are you doing?" Melody asked tearfully as she stood there wrapped in a towel.

"Melody…I'm sorry. I wanted to see the video. I wanted to see if you read her lips wrong."

"It's hard to read her lips wrong when they're around John's dick." She replied angrily. "I'm gone. I'm packing and I'm flying home. You can stay as long as you like, I'll give you my extra key. I have to get out of here. I'm sorry things got out of hand downstairs. I know better and I let the alcohol do the thinking."

Randy hugged her tight and then pulled her back so she could see his lips, "Don't worry. Nothing too bad happened and we'll deal with that later."

She nodded. "Can you get out so I can get dressed please? Take the phone with you, I don't want to see it right now."

Randy nodded and left the room.

Melody threw some clothes into a duffel bag. Then she grabbed a brush, put her hearing aids back in and grabbed her make-up bag.

She ran down the stairs. She handed him an extra key. "Keep the phone, I don't want it."

"Take it, just in case of an emergency."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him, "Did you know he was going to see Liz?"

Randy hung his head, "Yeah, I did. Sophie tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted nothing bad was going to happen. They were just going to talk and he was going to tell her that he needed distance."

"She went the distance alright." She said as she took the phone back and threw it in her purse. "Fine, there. I have it. I'm driving to New York. I can't text and drive, I already can't hear so it's just asking for disaster."

"Melody, I'm sorry things got out of hand tonight. I know better and the alcohol screwed with my thinking too. But at least it didn't get any further." Randy said to her.

She nodded, "Very true. I'm out of here. Just lock up when you leave. And don't you dare tell John anything about the email. That's for me and him to deal with….not you."

Randy sighed but nodded. She was right, it wasn't his fight.

She climbed into her Mustang and peeled out of the driveway. Off she drove…into the dark.

Randy shook his head and went back in the house. When something gets screwed up, boy could things just snowball out of control.

**What's going to happen? Will Randy tell John everything or will he respect Melody's wishes? Is Liz done screwing with Melody's head? What's going to happen when John finds out?**


	16. Chapter 16

**WOW…things are cooking now! Thank you for the reviews and for reading! Please continue to read and review!**

John got done filming Wednesday afternoon and got back to his trailer. He checked his phone and found Melody had emailed him… He smiled as he double-clicked the message. The subject line simply read "John…"

When he opened it, all that was in there was an attached video. He smiled and opened the video. He really missed her and couldn't wait to get back so he could straighten everything out. The minute the video started John's jaw hit the floor. There they were in the hot tub , the massage conversations, and then the 69'ing on the floor and then him thrusting into Liz on the floor. Everything he couldn't remember…was now right in front of him. "Holy shit." John said to himself. He was in complete, utter shock. Liz had video-taped everything and then edited it and sent it to Melody. She even had the audacity to record a message at the end telling Melody that the two of them had been "trial dating" this whole time. She said John was going to wait and break it off with her when he returned but Liz felt it was important for Melody to know sooner.

John grabbed his phone and started texting Melody apologies and asking if he could call her TTY machine so they could talk, he didn't get any responses. He had to get home. He had to talk to her. He needed to get ahold of Liz and find out what the hell her problem was. What was she trying to do? The fact that she even had recorded when John was venting about what he missed out on with the closed captioning broke his heart. It was all taken out of context.

Melody didn't answer anyone's texts. Not her dad's, not Patti's, not Randy's and definitely not John's. Finally she made it to New York City on Friday. She pulled into her dad's driveway and let himself in. He wasn't there. She was almost relieved. She needed to be in Stamford, Connecticut on Saturday for a show so it was nice to have some time to take a hot shower and gather herself. She knew she would wind up breaking down when her dad got home, but she had to brace herself for the inevitable "I told you so" that her loving father would dish out. Most of the time he was a tough love kind of guy.

Melody sat there in the darkness. She was trying like hell to not cry and she pet her dad's cat as if it would save her life. The door opened and her dad came walking in. Before he could get to the light she flipped it on scaring the shit out of him.

"Jesus Melody, are you trying to give me another heart attack?" Jim hollered at his daughter. "Where in the hell have you been? Did you forget how to respond to a fucking text once and awhile?"

Melody burst into tears. Jim felt bad, he squeezed her shoulder, _"Hey, I'm sorry I yelled but you've had me and Patti and everyone worried sick." _He signed.

Melody nodded and sniffled, "I drove here from L.A. All I've done is drive and cry. John cheated on me. With his ex-girlfriend. The bitch I didn't like, the bitch I didn't trust him with. I never trusted her and he didn't understand why. She sent me a damn video highlight of the night. And to make things worse, I almost cheated on John with his married best friend, but we stopped at making out."

Jimmy shook his head, "Dear God…you've gotten yourself into a pickle haven't you?"

She glared at him, "Daddy, I really can't handle an "I told you so" right now. I just don't know what to do, I don't know what to think. John's been texting me hundreds of times a day, but I refuse to answer him."

"All I'm saying is that you need to learn when to speak and when to listen." Jim replied.

"I'm deaf remember? Listening isn't my specialty." She said angrily. She got up and walked out of the room.

Jim gave his daughter some time to cool off. He was so pissed at John.

Jim finally walked into his daughter's bedroom and found her laying on the bed. He sat down on the bed next to her.

Melody turned and leaned her head on his shoulder and began to cry. "It's not even the sex that bothers me the most. I was almost prepared for something like that because I knew she was a conniving bitch. What hurts the most is the lying and the talking shit. If he wasn't happy then why did he tell me he loved me?"

Jim nodded and patted his daughter's back. Then something popped into his head. If Melody thought she was conniving…

"Let me see the video." Jim signed to Melody.

"Why?" She signed back.

"I just thought of something."

"No, you don't need to see it." She replied with a huff.

Just let me see the damn video." He replied verbally.

She rolled her eyes and walked into his office. She pulled it up and pointed. Jim sat and watched the video carefully. Then he watched it one more time. He turned and tapped Melody on the shoulder, "Don't you find it odd that she took the time to condense the footage, add closed-captioning and then her recording the end part, she's wearing different clothes and is in a different room altogether.

Melody thought about it for a minute, "I guess I never really gave it much thought. I was too busy focused on the fact that he was fucking her while he was supposed to be at Randy's."

"Just for shits and giggles, answer one of his texts." Jim said to Melody.

She shot him a death look, "Why should I? He cheated on me, remember?"

"Yeah and you almost cheated on him." Jim shot back.

Melody looked like she had just been slapped in the face, Yeah, well I didn't have Randy's dick in my mouth…she did." Melody yelled.

"Maybe not his dick, but I bet you had his tongue." Jim argued.

"Aaarrggghh…." Melody growled. "You're impossible. I'm not ready to face him, hear his voice or any of the above."

"_Melody, you're never going to know unless you talk to him." _Jim signed to her.

Melody shook her head, "I just can't yet Dad…I just can't yet." And she got up and walked into her room and closed the door.

John got off the plane in Stamford, Connecticut Saturday morning and headed to Vince's office. He wasn't sure why Vince asked him to quit shooting a day early and come talk to him. He was driving himself crazy because he couldn't get Melody to answer any of his calls. Liz wouldn't return his calls either.

He walked into the office building and checked in with the receptionist. Soon Vince's assistance walked out to bring him back to Vince's office.

Vince turned around in his chair and made eye contact with John, "Come in John, have a seat. We have something we need to discuss."

"Ok sir, what's that? If it's about Dwayne and I being on board for the pay-per-view I promise you…" John began to say but Vince threw a file folder at him.

"Care to explain why the fuck you failed the drug test?" Vince hollered at him.

"WHAT? What the hell are you talking about?" John replied sternly. "I've never done drugs, I've never done steroids, there's no way in hell I violated the wellness policy."

"Then how the hell did your piss show drugs? There were traces of Ecstacy and Rohyphenol. What were you doing Sunday night?" Vince hollered. "You're officially suspended for thirty days due to violation of the wellness policy. You will not be on the pay-per-view, you will be fined and it will be made public that you violated."

"Wait Vince." John said tearfully. "Please, just wait. You don't understand. I think something happened to me, I just have to prove it. My life is falling apart all around me. Give me twenty-four hours. Please."

"FINE. Be back here at noon tomorrow." Vince replied gruffly.

John left Liz a tear-filled voicemail. "You need to tell me just what the hell happened Sunday night. I'm about to lose my job because I piss-tested dirty. There were traces of Ecstacy and Rohypenol in it. Rohypenol is otherwise known as Roofies. The date rape drug. You have to be honest with me Liz, I can't lose my job over this. I have till noon tomorrow to prove that it wasn't intentional. Please, PLEASE call me."

**The next morning**

John still hadn't heard from Liz and he was on pins and needles. Finally around 9 a.m. his phone rang. He looked at the caller id and saw it was Liz.

"Hello?"

"I drugged you." Liz said softly.

"Why would you do that? What were you thinking?" John asked angrily.

Liz started crying, "Because I wanted her gone. If you and her broke up, you would come back to me. I miss you and I love you and I'm sorry I screwed up."

"Liz, even if Melody and I broke up, I wouldn't have gotten back together with you. I don't love you anymore. And this…this is too much." John sighed.

Liz began to cry, "I'm sorry Johnny. This all got out of hand. I'm sorry. What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I'm going to have to have you talk to Vince and tell him what you did. If you promise to leave me the hell alone then I won't press charges. But if you do ANYTHING to me again or contact me again then I'm pressing charges, understand?" John replied.

"Thanks John, I understand."

"I'll be calling you from his office, so stay by your phone." John said sternly. He hung up and headed to Vince's office.

An hour later John was walking out of the office still employed and not suspended. He sent Melody a text, "I have something important I need to talk to you about. Please text me, call me, email me. Anything. I know you don't believe me, but I love you and I miss you and I need to talk to you."

**BACK IN NEW YORK….**

Melody woke up and walked into the kitchen and found Patti sitting at the table drinking coffee. "PATTI!" Melody said excitedly. She went over and hugged her.

"Hi!" Patti replied cheerfully.

"I don't have my hearing aids in." Melody warned her.

Patti pointed to Melody's cell phone sitting on the counter, "_John text you_."

"_I don't care_." Melody signed back.

"_You can't hide from him forever. You need to hash everything out so you can either end it completely and move on or see if you can work it out_." Patti replied.

Melody shook her head, "_I'm sure he got a work out. Remember, I have the video_."

Patti sighed and looked at her and began to sign, "_Melody. You won't know the whole story until you talk to him. I know you're pissed and I know that you're hurt, but if you truly loved him, you would want to hear his side and hear him out. His text said he had something really important to talk to you about_."

"_Well thank you Miss Secretary for reading my text messages. And I do truly love him and that's why it hurts so damn bad. I had my guard up and everything was going just fine. We have a big fight and I finally break down and tell him I love him and everything goes to hell. That's what I get for opening myself up. At this point, I'm more pissed about the lies and the sneaking around. In the video Liz said that they were trial dating this whole time_." Melody signed back as tears welled up in her eyes. She looked around the kitchen, "Where's dad?"

"_Getting bagels_. _Can I see the video_?" Patti asked.

"_Why does everyone want to watch John have sex with another woman_? _What's the fascination?"_

Patti looked at Melody, "_It has nothing to do with watching John being intimate with another woman. It has to do with what your dad told me and what you just said. Liz sat down and did some kind of interview at the end? Almost like she was on a reality show? Doesn't that seem odd to you?"_

Just as Melody was about to respond, Jimmy walked through the front door with bagels. "How are you feeling?" Jim asked Melody.

"Slow, _I don't have my hearing aids in. But I'm ok. Just finding out why everyone wants to see this video so damn bad. It's the video that ruined my life."_ She signed back with a twisted expression on her face.

Patti waved to get her attention, "_I don't need to see the sex part. I want to see her part_."

Melody rolled her eyes and went to the living room computer. She logged in and brought it up. She made it fit the whole screen and started it from the beginning.

Patti and Jim came over and watched it and then came Liz's part. Patti watched it carefully. She finally turned around and looked at Melody, "_Did you notice that she made sure the camera was on them? Even during the sex, she was always looking to see if the camera was there. She made eye contact with the camera a lot. Then for the after-show interview, it was like that was shot on a totally different day. Something's not adding up. I say call the bitch up and start some shit_."

Melody laughed, "_Yeah too bad I can't make normal phone calls. But I'm still hurt about the lies and the sneaking around. That wouldn't make that any better. That's all on him_."

They all sat down at the table and ate the bagels.

After breakfast, Patti convinced Melody to get dressed and go out with her for the day. Melody reluctantly agreed, but it had been awhile since she had been able to go out and have Patti time.

Around 3pm or so, Jim's doorbell rang. He got up and opened the door and found John standing there. Jim looked him up and down, "Boy don't you look like something my cat dragged in."

"Sir, is Melody here?" John asked visibly upset.

Jim shook his head, "Nope."

"I'm sure you know about what happened. And is she ok? She won't return my texts or my emails. She hasn't been on Skype in days and I'm so worried about her. Everything in the video was all a set-up. She drugged me. Liz confessed to me this morning. She had to admit it to my boss to explain why I tested positive for drugs." John recounted.

I thought you were overseas." Jim replied. "Or was that a lie to?"

"I was, until my test came back positive for drugs. Then I was in Stamford getting that straightened out. Now I'm here seeing if Melody came here. Please sir, I have to talk to her." John said with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah Melody's here but she's not here. She's out with Patti. She's singing with Meat tonight and tomorrow and she needs to get her head in the game." Jim said rolling his eyes.

John looked surprised. "Oh, that's great. But Jimmy, I swear to you. I love your daughter with all of my heart. I wanted to ask her to move in with me. I know we've only been together for a short time, but she is my world. I met up with Liz that night to tell her that we needed to back off our friendship. Never did I think that everything would explode like this." John confessed with tears in his eyes.

"You lied to her though. And you didn't listen to her concerns. I think that is part of what hurts her the most. You told her you were staying with Randy and Sophie and then snuck off to a hotel with your ex-girlfriend. That looks pretty shitty if you ask me."

"All that was supposed to happen was we were going to have dinner and then I was going to tell her that we couldn't hang out and text as much as we had been."

"That's all? Then why was there a hotel room? You don't think that that doesn't look bad enough as it is? Without the sex?" Jim said angrily. "And what about all of the things you told Liz about what you're missing out on? That killed her. Why aren't you talking to Melody about those things?" Jim inquired.

"You're right, I should have. But I didn't want her to take it the wrong way. I know I've done some horrible things, and I've made terrible mistakes, but Jimmy I swear to you that I love your daughter. There's a HUGE difference between it being hard and it being impossible. Yes I miss talking in bed, yes I miss normal foreplay and talking dirty. That doesn't mean that it can't be done. And if it can't be done, it's nothing that's a deal breaker." John replied bordering on tears again. "I just want to make this right."

Jim nodded, "Yeah don't we all. You've got your work cut out for you. But, I can't be the one you talk to. And I'm not siding with you either. You're going to have to talk to Melody."

Jim got up and started walking away, then stopped and turned around, "The fact that you were telling Liz that your family has been pulled apart because you refuse to break up with Melody really hurt her. Melody is very, very touchy about family. She's never had a stable home life. Family means everything to her because it was something she dreamed of for so long and when she finally finds it, she never wants to let it go. Hearing that she was destroying yours killed her. She won't stay with you if your family is dis-owning you because of her."

"But they're not. Now they realize that this wasn't a phase, they see just how much I truly love Melody. They want to see if she'll give them a second chance. They want to get to know her." John responded."

Then Jim sighed and shook his head, "You know…for some stupid reason I can tell that you truly feel something for Melody. And even though you've royally fucked it up, which I specifically told you not to do, I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you that you can wait here for her if you want. BUT…so help me John, there's one thing you need to remember." And he walked right up in John's face, "I know that I haven't been perfect in my lifetime and there are plenty of things that I've done that I'm not proud of. BUT…Melody might forgive you, and Jesus will forgive you…..but a Daddy won't forget." And Jim walked off without looking back.

John sighed and put his head in his hands. He had to make this right, he had to prove his love to Melody…but how?

**Hmm…what's going to happen when Melody comes home and finds John sitting there waiting for her? Will it be World War III? Please read and review and give me your thoughts!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the reviews!**

John was sitting on the couch as Patti and Melody walked in.

Melody looked and then did a double-take. Her eyes instantly started to fill with tears, "I don't want to see you right now."

Patti and Jimmy made their way to the kitchen.

John signed to Melody, _"Please. I just want to talk. I have to tell you about that night. It was a set-up. Liz confessed everything to me."_

Melody stopped walking and hung her head. She looked at him with tears spilling over, "Look I get it. You'd rather be with Liz. It's fine, I know life is a lot easier with someone who can hear you when you tell them things. I know it's easier with someone who you already know and who doesn't have a gypsy lifestyle. Someone who can go to a movie easily, be taken out with the friends easily. Whatever. I'm sorry I kept you from that."

John shook his head, "It's not like that. I love you, you are the only woman I want to love. I was going to tell her that I couldn't hang out with her anymore. I was going to tell her that we had to cool it because you were upset and I knew that I wanted to be with you."

"STOP LYING TO ME!" Melody exploded. "Cut the bullshit lies John. You were going to spend the week with her. Don't tell me it was a one night thing. I can tell that you're not usually a liar because your lies have trapped you and you're stuck in a rut and you don't know how to get out of it." Melody fired back. "You've lied to me, you've lied to everyone. You just don't get it do you?" She hissed. "It's not just the sex. It's not just the 69'ing or the hot tub or the massage. You told Liz that I'm driving a wedge between you and your parents. You shrug it off like it's nothing, I would have given ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to have parents who cared about me and hugged me and loved me and did things with me. I never had that. I had friends of the family who I lived with who tried to include me. I never had parents who cared about who I dated when I was growing up. You've ALWAYS had a great family relationship and that makes it easy to take for granted. Well I can't do that. You sat and vented to Liz about things that I can't do. I can't help it John, I'm DEAF. I was deaf when you met me, I was deaf when we dated and I will always be deaf. Besides, what business is it of hers? I'm sorry that I'm not your perfect girl John. But I just can't be what I'm not. Even with a cochlear implant I would still be the deaf girl."

Jim felt really bad, it was totally his fault that she didn't have a stable home life. He knew it was and there was no amount of comforting. He had really messed up. Patti hugged Jim, she knew he beat himself up about her upbringing. Melody tried to not talk about it around him, but in the heat of the moment she couldn't stop herself.

"I don't want you to be anything that you're not. I love you for who you are. You're right, I was stupid and I answered her questions thinking they were innocent questions, but it turned out she was setting me up. Listen, Liz drugged me. She slipped me Roofies and Ecstacy. Then she seduced me so she could send you the video. She wanted us to break up because she thought I'd go running to her."

Melody watched him speak very carefully. "She drugged you?"

John nodded, "Liz had to tell Vince because I was almost suspended for thirty days for failing the wellness policy."

"Oh my God!" Melody gasped.

John hung his head with a shameful look on his face, "Look, I know I fucked up. I shouldn't have lied. I should have been honest. Sneaking around was stupid. Everything I did was stupid. I should have listened to Randy and Sophie but I didn't. I did lie. I even lied to your Dad's face. Yes, there was a hotel room booked. Yes you busted me when you saw that Liz was going to spend most of the week with me. I guess that I had unresolved feelings for her. I never had the full closure and I couldn't come to terms with that. I needed to feel that it was over. But I never set out to cheat on you. I swear to you I would have never had sex with her while I was dating you. I can see where Liz felt led on and felt like we were doing a trial dating run, but that wasn't my intention. You're the only woman I want to be with Melody. I would love if you moved in with me down in Florida. And my family has come around. They want to know if you would give them a second chance. My brothers and sister-in-laws think you're great."

Melody hung her head and was furiously trying to fight the tears, "John…I can't trust you right now. How am I supposed to know what is a lie and what Is truth? I don't know if we can have a future together."

"Babe, don't do this, please….I love you. I didn't know that she…"

"You didn't know that she would what? YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT YOURSELF IN THAT POSITION IN THE FIRST PLACE! If you were honestly happy dating me then NOTHING should have ever came about from you seeing her in the bar that night. NOTHING. Obviously you didn't care enough about me to say no." Melody said angrily. By this point she was yelling and crying.

"Melody, I can prove to you that you're the woman I want to be with. I can prove to you that all of the crap is over." John started to panic. "I feel like I'm losing you."

"You did lose me John." Melody said solemnly. "I need some time to figure things out."

"What do you need to figure out? I love you and you love me." John tried to point out but Melody quickly put an end to that.

"And what good did loving you do for me? Nothing. Faithful doesn't mean sneaking around. Lying is the fact that I can't figure out what is your honest feelings and what are just words you're spewing out trying to save your ass. So save your whining, save your crying, save all of that because right now, I don't care. Forgiveness is something that I DON'T have for you right now."

John went to her and took her hand, "Please Melody…I don't want to lose you. I want us to be able to make it through this."

Melody couldn't hold back anymore and she broke down in full, gut-wrenching, choking sobs. She let John hold her as she cried. Then she began to cry harder because all she could picture was Sophie going through this with Randy and now she was the Liz in the equation. Thank God they stopped when they did.

Melody finally sat up and looked at John. She took a deep breath and stared into his eyes, "Why…why would you do this?"

John shook his head, "I have no idea. I've never cheated on anyone before. I've never lied, I've never snuck around, I've never gone down that road."

"Well, I'm going on the road with Meat. And for now I'm going to live here. If you still want to be with me, we're going to have to start over. I'll be honest, it's going to be tough. I'm not pretending as if it never happened. That's not me. And yes I might seem bitchy right now, but I don't want you talking to Liz at all. No contact, and if she reaches out to you I need to know about it." Melody said sternly.

John nodded and signed, "_That's fine, I have no problem with that. I want to be with you. I am being honest Melody, I love you_."

"We're performing and appearing at Raw on Monday night to promote Meat's new album. We're doing a few songs before the show, then a few songs after the show." Melody said with a hint of a smile. "Originally before the email I was going to surprise you."

John smiled, "That's great! I can't wait to see you in action. We could spend the weekend together like we did the first time. Then we could fly to Raw together."

Melody shot him a look, "Slow down. If you spend the weekend with me here, you'll be tagging along as I visit some friends that I promised I'd see. They're deaf so you'll see what it's like for me when we hang out with your friends."

John nodded and signed, "_That would be great! I can't wait to meet your friends_."

"I don't know if we'll be able to fly together since we'll have to be there at different times, but we'll see." Melody replied. "And you're not spending the night with me."

"I understand. I'll get a hotel room."

"Then be back here at 8pm and we'll head out." Melody replied. She looked exhausted and drained.

John kissed her on the cheek, "I'll see you then. Tell your dad that I said thank you for letting me stay."

Suddenly a light bulb went off in Melody's head, "Wait. I know you think I'm a freak about the whole family thing. Let me show you something."

She grabbed John's hand and brought him into the living room. Soon Jim heard a familiar video on the tv. He motioned to Patti to go out to the living room.

Melody sat down on John's lap and pointed out a brunette singer. John watched intently. The brunette had some mannerisms of Melody and the same devious smirk. "_Is that your mom?"_ He signed to her.

She nodded. Melody rarely brought out the old footage…she couldn't bear to watch for long. There were so many unanswered questions. She got up and switched to a different tape, and there was a young Melody sitting next to Jim on the piano and playing with great conviction. And then Jim and Melody in the studio when Meat was recording Bat Out of Hell II. Melody with Pearl and Amanda singing some Salt-N-Pepa song and having a grand ol' time.

She turned off the tape and grabbed a photo album. She showed him pictures of her grandparents that she had lived with, she had her school pictures but hardly any pictures of her and Jim. There were pics of her with Meat and Meat's ex-wife Leslie, Pearl and Amanda, and lots of other people whom she called family friends. Lots of pictures of her and Meat together. Then there was a picture of Jimmy and Melody at her high school graduation. He was hugging her and kissed her on the cheek and Melody had the happiest smile on her face.

John looked at Melody and signed, "_That's a special one isn't it?_"

Melody nodded with a big smile "Yeah it is. One of my all-time favorites."

She showed him a few pictures that had been taken when Jimmy was in the hospital with his heart attack. Then there were a few random pictures of the two of them here and there.

Melody closed the book, "So that's my life in pictures. You've now seen my family and the people who served as my family. I hope it helps you to understand why family means so much to me."

John nodded, "It does. I'm sorry that I didn't give the credit it was due."

"Alright, off you go now. If you're not here by 8pm I'm leaving without you." Melody said standing up.

John hugged her tight, "I'll be here. I'm really sorry Melody." Then he went to kiss her goodbye but she ducked away.

"We're starting over, and I'm not ready for that yet." Melody said softly. "After the video all I can picture is where those lips have been."

John nodded shamefully and walked out of the door.

When she closed the door and turned around Jimmy and Patti were standing there with their arms crossed. "What?" She signed.

"_I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and not just letting him walk all over you_." Jim said as he signed.

"Thanks." Melody replied sounding pretty unsure of herself. She just didn't know if she was doing the right thing. She ran upstairs to the bedroom to take a hot shower.

She text Malika, "Countdown is on till I see you!"

Malika sent back, "Girl I can't wait!"

Melody replied, "John will be with also so you'll be able to meet him finally."

"Sounds good. Getting in the shower." Malika responded.

Melody threw her phone on the bed. Her and Patti had gone out and bought a new one since she had cracked the screen on hers.

As she stood in the shower letting the water fall down on her all she could think about was John. What brought out the lies? Was it just restlessness? Was it the quest for closure? What would bringing him out with her be like? Tonight would definitely a true test of whether or not he could handle being the outsider.

**It's going to be a tough night for John. Was Melody fair? When she shows up at Raw with Meat will he still introduce her to people as his girlfriend? Let's just say something that Raw is going to be VERY interesting in regards to the performance. If you guys are ever lost, go to YouTube and do a search for whatever songs I reference and you'll find them. Please read and review!**


	18. Chapter 18

After John left, Jim looked over at Melody, "Boy did you let him off easy. I know I raised you with more balls than that."

Melody shot him a dirty look, "In a way yes and in a way no. He doesn't know my deaf friends. Since we can't talk, we're very touchy and flirty. And he always used to get so angry that I would do something on my own when we were out with his hearing friends and family since I couldn't follow the conversation. Well now he's going to be able to see just what I dealt with. And I was never angry about it, I didn't care. Half the time I can't follow any of your conversations with anyone so I'm used to it. Not a big deal."

"Ok, but what about going from yelling one minute and then sitting on his lap going through pictures the next?" Patti couldn't help herself, she had to ask. It was driving her crazy.

"Part of that was my manic breakdown. The other part was John HAS to understand why I don't take family for granted. And he's never really gotten to "see" me grow up. I've told him the story but that doesn't mean he fully gets it. And I know it's painful to hear and to talk about, but it's something that if he wants to be one with me he has to see why I am how I am today. He doesn't get that you can't completely miss what you never had." Melody explained. "So I know it seemed odd, but it had to be done. And dad has photos and videos that I don't have."

Jimmy shook his head, "Whatever. Not my deal. Just watch yourself."

Melody nodded and headed upstairs. The last thing she needed was everyone ganging up on her and kicking her while she was down.

**Later than night…**

John arrived at Jim's doorstep right on time. Melody answered the door in denim capris and just a pink bra and smiled, "Hi, come on in. I'm just about ready.

John walked in. He was wearing baggy jean shorts and a jersey. Melody came back out wearing a fitted, purple halter top that revealed her belly button ring. "Alright, sorry about that, I wound up losing track of time." She said as she grabbed her purse. She scribbled a note for Jim and they left.

Melody looked at John, "I don't normally drive because driving in New York is crazy. Are you ok with us walking and taking taxis?"

John nodded, "Yeah that's fine."

He took her hand as they walked down the street. He looked at her, "_Can I say something without getting in trouble?_" He signed as he asked.

Melody nodded.

"_There's times when you look like your mom_." He signed.

"_I don't know if I should say thank you, but thank you I guess. I have a lot of mixed feelings about her. I don't really know how to feel_." She spoke as she signed. Melody knew that it made it easier for him that way.

John took her hand back. Speaking of mixed feelings, John wasn't sure how to feel. Should he be worried that the first time he ever did anything disloyal was while dating her? Was that a bad sign? Or was it coincidental?

They arrived at Malika's apartment. Melody explained to John that Malika was one of her all-time best friends. She also explained that Malika was completely deaf, had always been deaf and was not around hearing people very often. And that Malika had a twin brother named Malachi who was not deaf and was a dj and that's the first club they were going to.

"I thought you just said she wasn't around hearing people very often?" John questioned.

"I did. Her parents are deaf, most of her relatives are deaf, she's deaf but Malachi isn't. So she went to the deaf school, Malachi went to the hearing school which is how I met them." She replied with a smile. "Trust me, nothing in my life is simple."

John laughed and kissed her cheek. Melody slightly froze. She still was having problems NOT picturing the video whenever he kissed her.

She text Malika, "Hey girl, we're here."

Malika came down the stairs and opened the door, "_HI! It's good to see you!_" She signed happily and hugged Melody. Then she turned to John, "_And you must be John. It's nice to meet you_."

John smiled and shook her hand, "_Yes I am, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you_."

Malika smiled and motioned up the stairs. She turned to face John, "_My brother has your cd. He really likes your work. They bump a few of your songs at the club a lot_."

Melody tapped John's shoulder and repeated what Malika signed. She could tell John couldn't keep up. John smiled and faced Malika, "_Thank you. That means a lot_."

They got to Malika's apartment and she motioned for them to have a seat. "_I'll be ready in just a minute. Melody, can you help me curl the back of my head?_" She signed.

Melody looked at John, "I'm going to help her with her hair, I'll be right back." And she walked off with Malika.

"He's definitely cute for a white guy." Malika signed. "How are things going? You know Malachi is single again."

"_I guess ok. I just had at it with him this afternoon so who knows. One step at a time. I wonder if I should forewarn him that we all flirt with each other? Especially if Kai is single._"

"_Nah…just see how jealous he gets_." Malika signed back with a devious smile.

As John was sitting in the living room, it was odd to be somewhere so quiet with two girls doing hair. The tv was on but Malika kept her sound all the way off and just the closed captioning on. John looked around and noticed that Malika had the TTY machine and the doorbell flashers also.

The girls walked out, "_Ok, let's head out_." Melody announced as she signed. "_Belinda, Jack and Holly will meet us there_."

They walked outside and hailed a cab. John looked at Melody, "Does she ever talk?" He asked quietly.

Melody smiled, "Not really, but sometimes. Depends on who is around. Not talking is a habit when you're around mainly deaf people, but you'll notice she's mouthing the words as she signs them."

They arrived at the club and the bouncer gave Melody a big hug and then welcomed her back to New York. He asked her how California was and then let them inside.

They made their way through the crowd and went upstairs where they had their own little area. There was a group of people that was all hugging and kissing on the cheek when Melody and Malika arrived. Melody signed introductions and John smiled and signed back as much as he could.

As everyone was signing a mile a minute, John couldn't keep up. Melody would try as much to fill him in as she would respond, but suddenly he was the outsider.

After a little while a guy walked up behind Melody and tapped her shoulder. She turned and smiled and jumped up and gave the guy a very big hug. She turned to John, "This is Malika's brother Malachi. Kai this is John."

Malachi held out his hand, "It's very nice to meet you. I have to admit I'm a big fan."

John smiled and shook his hand, "That's nice to know, thank you. And it's nice to meet you also."

"Mind if I steal your girl for a few songs?"

John shook his head, "Go ahead."

Malachi smiled and took Melody's hand, "C'mon, I'm putting you to work."

Melody started laughing as she walked off with Malachi. They danced and signed to a few songs and then she returned to John's side.

"So you know him pretty well, Huh?" John asked Melody.

"I've known him since high school. When I finally started living with dad and going to school here is when I met him."Melody replied.

The group was dancing and signing. They were trying to include John as much as possible, but he just couldn't keep up. They were all hugging and holding hands and kissing on the cheeks and John was just confused. Eventually he wandered down to the dj booth and hung out with Malachi.

"So how's it going dating Melody?" Malachi asked.

"It's going good. It takes some getting used to." John confessed. "But nothing I can't handle."

Malachi nodded. "Yeah, it does. And there are times when it seems totally impossible and in the next moment it seems like nothing could come between the two of you. I don't know if Mel told you but my parents are deaf also."

John nodded. "Yeah. Melody is the first deaf person I've ever known."

"She's the best. She's funny, sassy, beautiful, talented, you've got it all right there." Malachi replied.

John smiled and nodded, "Yeah I do."

They jammed for awhile and finally Melody grabbed his arm, "Hey, ready to head out?"

"Sure, nice meeting you Malachi."

"You too dude!" He replied.

Afterwards they went to a local pizza place and all crammed into two booths. Everyone was busy talking and signing and laughing. Melody did her best to interpret for John, but she couldn't always keep track of his conversation and hers at the same time.

By the time they got back to Jimmy's house, John finally realized just what it was like for her when they're out with a group of his friends. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close and looked into her eyes, "Thank you for giving me a glance into your world and introducing me to your friends. I had a really great time."

She smiled, "Did you really? Or are you just saying that?"

"It was fun. I'll admit it's a lot different than what I'm used to. And I promise to never give you a hard time for tuning out when we're out with my friends." John replied.

"So will I get to see you tomorrow?" John asked.

"I doubt it, we're rehearsing for Raw." Melody replied. "But you can text me."

"Alright. Then I'll talk to you tomorrow." John said as he leaned down and kissed her.

At first Melody kissed him back, but when he started to hint at a French-kiss she pulled away. "Good night John."

"I love you Melody."

Melody smiled and headed inside. She just couldn't bring herself to say it back yet. That wouldn't be starting over. Starting over meant starting over from the beginning…not just falling back into the way things used to be.

**MONDAY NIGHT RAW **

Melody had text John a bit but she was trying to move slowly. She now understood what Randy's wife Sophie meant when she said it's hard to deny what the heart wants. Melody could feel herself yearning for more with John, but her head told her to slow down.

Melody flew out to Raw with Meat and the band. She spent the day rehearsing and getting acclimated with the band. It took awhile to get familiar with everything and to find where she would best fit in.

John finally peeked in on sound check. Melody smiled and waved. He walked over by her but didn't interrupt until the song was over.

Melody greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How was your workout?"

John nodded, "Really good. Randy and I brought Dwayne and Paul with us and we worked our asses off. I was wondering if you'd have some free time so I could introduce you to a few people you haven't been able to meet yet."

Melody nodded, "Sure, let me get rid of this." And she began to remove her hearing aids.

"Why are you taking your hearing aids out?" John asked.

Melody shook her head, she took different hearing aids out of her pocket and put those in. "Those are my FM trainers. It allows me to tune into the band utilizing an FM transmitter from the sound board so I can follow. They define the band more so than if I was just using my hearing aids and trying to compete with the audience noise."

John looked shocked, he had no idea that was even possible. He squeezed her hand, "So I know we've been working on us, but I have a silly question for you."

Melody looked a bit concerned, "What's that?"

"_Can I still introduce you as my girlfriend_?" He asked as he signed.

She smiled and nodded, "_Yeah, that's fine with me_."

John leaned in and kissed her and took her around. He went over to Dwayne and nudged him, "Dude, I want you to meet Melody."

Dwayne turned around and smiled, "You're the famous Melody, it's nice to meet you."

She blushed and shook his hand, then signed as she replied, "_It's nice to meet you too_."

Then John introduced her to his boss Vince McMahon and his daughter Stephanie. Then to Paul who was also known as Triple H and a few other wrestlers she hadn't had the opportunity to meet yet.

There was some gentle teasing from John's buddies that she had already met. And as John was walking her to get something to drink, Eve dropped by to wish Melody good luck on her performance.

"John is so excited, we can't wait to watch." Eve said happily.

Melody smiled, "Well I'm only back-up, Patti is the main female vocalist, but I appreciate it, thank you."

The show was great and Randy even did a promo with Meat and wound up RKO'ing him. It was very funny and the audience loved it.

After the show was over was when Meat and the band did their thing. Melody looked like she fit right in. They sang a couple songs from the new album and then closed with "Bat Out of Hell". As their encore they performed "Paradise By the Dashboard Light".

Randy couldn't help but smirk when Paradise started. He had told Melody not to tell John about it until they calmed down their issues but he was pretty sure she listened because John hadn't said anything to him. He had decided not to tell Sophie yet and just keep it on the down low. There wasn't going to be anything more or anything further so there was really no need to ruffle feathers in his mind.

John watched as Patti made out with Meat during the baseball announcer's part of the song. They were hot and heavy and Meat did a little groping of Patti's butt and a slight touch of the breast. John looked at Randy, "Can you imagine doing that night after night?"

"Fuck yeah dude. Plus it's all performance; it means nothing at all to either of them except for the fact that it's part of the script. What could be better?" Randy replied.

John laughed. After they were done John went to the back and found Melody. "Oh my God you were great out there!"

Melody laughed and huged him and kissed him sweetly, "Thanks! It's been awhile, but it felt good."

Randy high-fived her and gave her a little hug, "Way to go hottie!"

She laughed, "You weren't so bad yourself Mr. RKO."

John took her hand, "I have a great idea. Since you have a couple days off and I have a couple days off. Why don't you come home with me to Miami. You haven't been able to see the house yet, you can meet my cat, meet some of my friends, and check the place out."

Melody looked unsure, "I don't know John. I don't have much packed with me and I really should go to L.A. and start packing my stuff."

"C'mon babe. Trust me, you'll love it in Miami, you can wait a week to pack. I'll take you shopping, we'll see the sights, and it'll give us a chance to re-connect."

"I only have Tuesday and Wednesday. I have to be in Dallas with Meat on Thursday afternoon." Melody said hesitantly. She didn't know why she was letting her guard down so easily. It kind of ticked her off, but yet she couldn't stop herself.

"No problem. I swear to you we're going to have a great time." John said with a convincing smile. He leaned in and passionately kissed her.

The girl in love inside of her melted, "Ok." She whispered.

John kissed her happily. "Let me go grab my stuff, you grab yours and lets get the hell out of here."

As John walked off Melody mentally kicked her own ass. What was she thinking? But she did have to talk to John to find out if he would be able to make it out to the Vegas show on her 30th birthday. Even her dad was thinking of flying out for the show. She also had an invitation to a few of her "surrogate" families to join them. It would be nice for John to get to meet everyone. And if she went to Miami with him she'd be able to see where he mainly lived and look for signs of Liz anywhere in the house.

After getting a lecture from Patti and Meat about how she's folding way to easily for going back to Miami with John she finally left and caught up with him. They were headed to the airport for a red-eye flight.

**Is Melody crazy for going with John? Or crazy in love? Was she giving up to easily? Is John ready to handle a Meat concert in Vegas? There's always something that happens in Vegas….Oooh, I can't wait! Please read and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry for the delay, lots of craziness at home and work. But, I promise I'll make up for it! Thanks again and please read and review!**

John and Melody arrived at the airport and were walking to the gate when she felt her phone vibrate. She looked and saw a reminder pop-up. She opened it and stopped in her tracks.

John turned and looked at her with a confused look, "What's the matter?"

Melody shook her head, "I can't go to Miami with you. I have my doctor's appointment tomorrow in New York for the cochlear implant consult. I almost forgot. There's a huge waiting list and I can't miss this."

John took her hand, "It's ok. I spaced it too. I told you I would go with you, so we'll just change our flights and fly out to New York. We can go see my place another time."

"Are you sure you're not mad? I'm sorry I forgot." She said apologetically.

"It's ok. I promise. Things happen. Besides, I told you I wanted to go with you so here's the opportunity."

They went to the counter and found out the flight for New York was leaving in an hour, so they headed to the coffee shop to relax till they had to go for their boarding call.

Melody took John's hand, "So, do you think you'll be able to make it to the Vegas show for my 30th birthday?"

"Birthday show in Vegas….birthday show in Vegas….Hmm…I don't think you've mentioned anything to me about one…when is it?" John teased her.

She giggled, "Stop playin'…will Vince let you have the weekend off?"

"Gee…first it's a show, then it's a weekend…gosh, which one is it?" He teased again.

Melody stuck her tongue out at him, "Well?"

John nodded, "Yup, I'll be there. And I think Randy and Sophie might fly out also. And my parents too."

Melody did a double-take, "What? Are you serious?"

"Well yeah, it's your birthday. They wouldn't want to miss this! Besides, Randy and Sophie are big Meat Loaf fans and my parents wanted to really get to know you since the first visit wasn't as pretty as we all would have liked. Plus your dad will be there and your friends that are as close as family will be there too, so it'll be a good time." John replied with a smile.

She jumped up and went to him and hugged him and kissed him, "Thanks honey. It means a lot to me."

They talked about various things and for a while it felt like old times again. It was definitely refreshing. John lifted his head to listen and then signed to Melody, "That's our boarding call."

Melody nodded in acknowledgement and signed back, "Good, I'm exhausted."

They got on the plane and she wasn't kidding. She gave him a kiss, turned her head and minutes later she was fast asleep.

John pulled out his iPad once they were allowed to and did a little background research on cochlear implants. He didn't know anything about them, and didn't want to be too clueless at the appointment.

As he Googled, he read through various accounts of what the procedure was, what it would do and wouldn't be able to do and the possible side effects. He read that there was a small surgical area, and that there was a small hole drilled into the skull bone. Then the implant was fitted and a few weeks later it would be activated.

John looked over at Melody…would he want her to go through all of that? Yes there were things that he missed, but overall he loved her for who she was…the way she was the day he met her. He hoped she wasn't thinking of doing this just for him. He realized he needed to talk to her about it and find out her reasoning.

John woke Melody up when they announced they would be landing. She yawned and looked over at John and signed, "_Did I sleep the whole time? I'm sorry I wasn't much company_."

He laughed, "Yeah you did, but it's ok. You were tired."

Once they were in a cab on the way to Jimmy's place, John looked over at Melody, "So, why do you want a cochlear?"

"_Because I miss hearing. Don't get me wrong, I'll always be deaf, but I miss hearing the little things. I miss out on so much and I have to be so careful because I can't hear the big things. Just being able to enjoy music the normal way would be nice. And if I understand right, I'd even be able to talk on the phone with a cochlear, I can't tell you when the last time I had a phone conversation, not a TTY conversation was. A cochlear does not cure deafness, but it helps a lot more than a hearing aid_." She signed as she spoke.

"Do you know what the surgery entails?" John asked.

Melody nodded, "_Yeah, my friend Kyle has a cochlear and so does his girlfriend. They actually met at the office._" Then she chuckled, "_And it's kind of a funny story. My dad pushed for me to get the cochlear for SO long, and I told him he was evil for not accepting me for who I am. Now here I am years later and I want one. Maybe once and awhile he is right_."

They arrived at the house and went inside. No one was home, so they had the house all to themselves. John wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "When do we need to leave for your appointment?"

"In about forty-five minutes. We have enough time to make something to eat." Melody replied.

John nodded, "Sounds good. I'm starving."

They raided the cupboards and whipped up some brunch. They sat down and ate while talking about the next couple days and then headed off to grab a cab.

Once they arrived at the doctor's office, Melody had to fill out a bunch of paperwork, the interpreter met up with her and then she met with the audiologist, then with the ENT. They did an exam of the ear, they did another round of hearing tests, since she already wears a hearing aid everyday, she was able to forego the hearing aid trial. Then they did a CT scan to see the shape of her cochlea. Since she had meningitis, they had to make sure that there wasn't any new bone growth that would interfere with the insertion of the implant. The CT also shows the doctor which ear is better suited for the implant.

John pretty much sat back and observed. He was very surprised at what all they did. He also watched the interpreter, man she was good! It made him feel like he had a lot to learn about sign language.

The doctor discussed with her the risks, the pros and the cons. They looked at diagrams and a model. Then they also discussed how after surgery there's a training program that will teach her how to manage the operations of the sound processor and how if possible it was a good idea to have a family member also go through the training. Just for a back-up.

After everything was said and done, she looked over at John, "What do you think?"

John shrugged his shoulders, "_Honestly, minus the surgery part it sounds pretty great. Surgery always scares me a little, especially when they're drilling into your skull, but if this is something that you truly want to do for yourself, then I'll support you 110%."_ He said supportively.

Melody looked at the doctor, "I'd like to go ahead with it."

The doctor smiled, "Wonderful. I think you're a great candidate for it. Let's go ahead and have you meet with Vivian and she'll set up your pre-op. You also have to go through a psych evaluation just to make sure you're mentally competent enough to cope with the implant."

Melody nodded, "Yeah the brochure said that."

The doctor shook both of their hands, and ten minutes later the two were walking out of the doctor's office holding hands. Melody had a big smile on her face. "Oh my God John, I can't believe it. This is really happening. As long as I pass my psych test, I'll be having surgery next month."

"Will that cut into your time with Meat?" John asked.

She shook her head, "No, Pearl will be back by then."

"What's your dad going to say?" He asked.

"Probably I told you so." She laughed. "But he'll be happy for me. It's not a cure, but it's a big help."

He kissed her sweetly, "So, I think I know how we should celebrate."

"Oh really? How's that?" She teased.

"I say we get a nice hotel suite, go out to dinner and then have a wild night in." He said with a smile as he kissed her.

She kissed him back with a smile, "That sounds really great."

They grabbed a cab and headed back to Jimmy's so Melody could pack an overnight bag. Now he was finally home.

"Hey dad, we're here." She called.

Jimmy walked out of the kitchen, "What are you two doing here? I thought you were going to Florida?"

"I forgot that I had my doctor's appointment today."

"For what?" Jimmy asked.

"Well….if I pass my psych test, then at the end of next month you'll be looking at the recipient of a cochlear implant." She said with a smile.

"Oh my God that's great!" Jim exclaimed. He gave her a big hug. "I told you years ago that you'd like it."

She looked at John with a smile, "Told ya."

John laughed and nodded.

"We should celebrate! How about Chinese food for lunch?" He offered.

"Sure, sounds good." John replied. It didn't matter how late they ate dinner, they could even just order room service for all he cared. Plus he knew it would make Melody happy to spend time with her dad.

"The landlord called about your apartment. It'll be ready next week." Jim said to Melody.

"Ok, then I'll get the movers set up." She replied.

"Apartment here?" John asked.

Melody nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to move in with my friend Alex. She's due any day now and her fiancée was killed while serving overseas. She's been dating his best friend and he'll be moving in also. They're taking the whole downstairs and I'll have the loft area upstairs."

"She's dating his best friend?" john asked.

Melody giggled, "Yeah, it sounds odd, but when Troy went overseas, he knew that his best friend Noah had always liked his girlfriend, they all grew up and hung out together. So he made Noah promise him and Alex that if anything ever happened, he would make sure she was taken care of. Well, feelings arose as he took care of her and helped her grieve and now they're together."

"Gotcha." John replied. He kind of knew how that went. When he took care of Sophie they started to fall for each other a little also. John still wanted Melody to move in with him, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. He was still digging himself out of the hole he was in.

The three went out and went to Melody's favorite Chinese restaurant. Then Jim left and John and Melody walked around and they took a cab over to her old neighborhood and where she went to school. Then they went back and grabbed their stuff and headed for the hotel.

They got up to their room and shortly after began to make-out. It had been a very long time and John was hoping that if they could make it through being intimate for the first time since the video, they'd be able to get back to where they were.

As they began to really get into it, Melody backed away. "John, wait, there's something I have to tell you."

He looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"I can't do this without being honest. I still love you. And yes the video did ruin it, so far we've been doing pretty well and I'm hoping and trusting that the lying is over and we're being completely honest with each other, so I have to be honest with you about this." Melody began to say. She took a deep breath and looked John in the eyes, "I got drunk the Tuesday after you were with Liz and I made out with Randy."

"You WHAT?" John exclaimed. He practically jumped off the bed. "You're my girlfriend and he's married to Sophie, why would you do that?"

"It just happened, we were both drinking and decided to sing karaoke. So I told him that him and I drunk together at a karaoke bar wouldn't look good on a YouTube video so we went back to my place. We did a shot and he picked "Paradise." It's a part of the song, you know where Meat and Patti make out? He knew it, I knew it, it was only for the songs' sake. But, nothing else happened. I stopped him and told him that we couldn't. Then I went upstairs crying and that's when I found the email from Liz. He ran me a bubble bath, fixed my broken phone and I left." Melody confessed. "Nothing else happened, he didn't see me naked, I saw him with his shirt off, but I do every Monday night so it wasn't a big surprise. John, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I didn't mean to hurt Sophie. It was just acting that got a little alcohol fueled but it stopped."

John paced back and forth, "You don't understand Melody. He's cheated on Sophie before, this could end them forever. He's not supposed to get drunk. I mean, I can forgive the drunken make-out session, it was actually oddly timed, but this is bad for Randy."

"Please slow down, I can't see what you're saying when you're walking away from me." Melody said with tears in her eyes. She was only picking up bits and pieces.

John stopped and looked at her, "I don't know if Sophie will forgive him for this."

"I don't know that she knows. He told me not to say anything about it, we're both adults, we stopped when we should have. Nothing sexual happened. But I can't sit here and be a hypocrite. And I don't know if he's told Sophie or not. If I bring it up, he tells me it's over and to move on." Melody replied.

He hugged her, "Thank you for being honest with me. I'm not telling you its ok, and I sure as hell hope it never happens again. But, I forgive you. I'm just worried about Randy and Sophie."

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Melody asked.

John was caught off guard, "What?"

"For Sophie. Do you still have feelings for her? Do you ever wonder what would have happened if the two of you would have gotten together?"

"Did Randy tell you?" John asked.

Melody nodded, "Yeah, when we were drinking. He told me how he liked to tease you about me because you've kind of been with his wife."

"We never had sex. We kissed. I think a part of me will always care about her, but I don't sit and wonder what if. Those days are gone." John replied. "Right now, you're the only one who's always on my mind. It's our future I think about."

Melody blushed, she wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Look, I'm going to talk to Randy the next time I see him. I think he should know that I know. And of course I'm going to tell him to keep his mouth away from yours, but we're ok. That all happened during the week from hell, from a few days ago forward was our new beginning. This one we're not screwing up." He said confidently.

Melody hugged and kissed him. "Well, since I kind of ruined the mood, why don't we go to dinner and then maybe we could try again?"

"Oooh…I like the sounds of that." John replied.

They kissed a couple more times and then got up and hit the shower. They headed out for their date night. It felt really good to clear the air and it almost felt like they were beginning again…again.

**Well…what will the new beginning bring? How will Randy react to John knowing the truth? Do you really think John will be able to forgive and forget? Will Melody really be able to not picture the video? And her birthday is coming….will it be a fabulous time? Or will there be enough drama to make a soap opera jealous? Please read and review! **


	20. Chapter 20

John and Sophie had a very wonderful time together. For the first time in a long time they were able to just enjoy being with each other. There weren't any dark clouds following them around. They spent the next couple days just re-connecting and enjoying each others' company. They were finally able to make love to each other without Sophie picturing the video.

John walked into the arena and looked around. Once he found the locker room, he found Randy getting his gear set out. There were other guys around, so John nodded his head towards him, "Hey, wanna hit the gym?"

"Hell yeah I do." Randy replied with a smile. He packed his workout gear and walked with John.

Once they were inside John's rental car, he looked over at Randy, "So, I heard you made out with Melody."

Randy closed his eyes and ran his hand over his head and grumbled, "Yeah, I did." Then he looked over at John, "I'm sorry. We had both had too much to drink and we got caught up with the song and then realized what we were doing. Nothing else happened, I swear. "

"Have you told Sophie?" John asked.

Randy shook his head, "No. It was nothing, it's not going any further, and it's never going to happen again. Things have been so great; I don't want to ruffle her feathers."

"Randy, you've got to tell her." John replied sternly. "You can't lie to her. Somehow it'll come out sometime and then it'll be worse that you weren't just upfront and honest as opposed to lying about it."

"How would it ever come out? There are only three people that know about it. Trust me on this, she doesn't need to know." Randy replied adamantly.

John shook his head, "You've got to tell her the truth. It's going to be worse that you're not telling her then if you are just open and honest."

"Are you and Melody ok?" Randy asked.

John nodded, "Yeah, it's hard to be mad at her over something like that with everything that's happened between Liz and I. But seriously bro, you've gotta tell Sophie. I told Melody she needed to make sure you told her."

Randy shook his head, "I can't tell her. It'll break her heart and she'll freak out. Not only did I kiss your girlfriend, but there was tongue AND I was drunk. You don't understand how much I have riding on this."

"Oh trust me, I know, but you've got to be honest." John replied.

Randy rolled his eyes, "Can we just get to the gym? I feel the need to beat something."

John started the car and they drove to the gym.

As the days passed, Melody was on the road with Meat Loaf and things were going well. The following Monday she began to move into her new apartment. As they were wrapping up for the night, her cell phone vibrated and it was a text from John. "How did moving go?"

She text back, "Good. Dad and Meat helped a lot. I put my car in storage because I don't usually drive when I'm in NYC. How's Raw going?"

"Well, it's going ok. Randy and I got into it about the kissing. I threatened to tell Sophie if he didn't. And she wasn't too happy and told him she needed space, so he's going to stay with me for the next few days. I won't be out there till next week."

Melody re-read the text and then responded, "Why did you threaten to tell Sophie? It wasn't your place to get in the middle of that!"

John text back, "It is my place because Sophie is my friend and I want someone to do the same if I was in her shoes. Randy has a history of messing up and Randy's my best friend but he can't treat her like that."

"It was just one time. It meant nothing, there was no sex, no nothing past kissing. I just think you over-stepped yourself a bit." She replied.

"Ok, whatever. Think what you want. I will Skype you when Raw is over." John finally responded.

"Sounds good."

John tucked his phone away. He knew he didn't overstep his bounds. Sophie needed to know so she could make her own decision about the situation.

Alex walked in and waved to Melody to get her attention, "Hey, why are you so mad?" She asked.

"Men." She replied.

Alex laughed, "I hear ya. I'm spending the night at Noah's, we have another dr's appointment tomorrow morning and his place is closer."

Melody nodded, "Ok, have fun. I'll be here."

That night, once Raw got done Randy and John headed back to the hotel. John hopped on the computer and Skyped with Melody for a bit. Randy sat on his bed and text back and forth with Sophie for awhile.

John looked over, "How are things?"

"She's still really upset and really confused and she doesn't want me home till next week." Randy replied. "How's Melody's new place?"

"She says it's good. It's kind of nice that Melody's around another pregnant girl. She hasn't had much experience or familiarity with kids, so maybe some of that maternal instinct will rub off." John said with a laugh.

As the week passed, the guys hung out in Florida and had a blast. Melody had her psych eval and passed so now she had her surgery date and was preparing for the future.

As Melody took out her planner to write down her surgery date, she realized there was only ten days until her birthday. Which meant ten days until the Vegas show. She smiled, she was excited. There were so many people she hadn't seen in so long and they'd be there. Melody hoped Randy and Sophie would be ok, they were supposed to be there too. She flipped ahead and exactly one month after her thirtieth birthday was when she'd go under the knife and would have the cochlear implanted.

As she daydreamed, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw that Meat was texting her. "I need you to call me ASAP. I don't have your TTY number."

Melody got up and went over and called him.

"Melody, I need to talk to you about something and I don't know if you'll be ok with this or not, but I'm freaking out here." The interpreter signed.

"Ok, what's going on?" She asked.

"Patti's sick and I mean really sick. Emphasize the really. She has no voice and can't hardly get out of bed. Is there any possible way you would feel comfortable covering for her this weekend?" The interpreter relayed.

"Oh no! That's awful! Meat, if you need me to be Patti, I can be your Patti. As long as you're ok with it then I don't mind." Melody replied. She made a mental note to pack her iPod and her good headphones because she was going to need to study and practice.

"I know it'll be a little awkward, but we've done it before. You know the music and I know you can do it. I have faith in you. If you need your dad to fly out with you, that's fine. No one else knows enough ASL and with Patti gone, I don't want you out of the loop."

"I'll give him a call and see if he's busy. If not, I'll get an interpreter. Don't worry about me." Melody replied. "But I've gotta run or I'll miss my plane. I'll see you tonight."

Once Meat was off the phone she quickly called Jimmy to see if he could join her.

"You're lucky you caught me, I was just going to hop on the bike and drive around for the weekend. I'll meet you at the airport." Jim replied.

By the time Melody walked out the door and got into the cab she was getting anxious. She was covering Patti's spot. ALL weekend long. It had been awhile since she had done lead vocals and she was nervous as hell. She didn't want to mess anything up.

John packed up his stuff and smiled at Randy. "Man, I can't wait to see her face. I calculated and as soon as my match is over, I'm going to haul ass and get to her show for the last half hour or so. She'll be so shocked to see me."

"Oh so romantic." Randy replied playfully. "Sophie will talk to me, but she's so pissed off. I can't tell what she's angrier about, the fact that I made out with a girl, the fact that I made out with your girl or the fact that I was drunk."

The house show went on as planned and sure enough, as soon as John was done, he grabbed his stuff and hit the highway.

He arrived at the arena and headed in. The crowd was really into it and the music was loud. He walked to his seat and focused his attention on the screen. Since he didn't tell her he was coming, he had to buy a ticket for wherever was left. So his seat wasn't the best, but he had a great shot of the big screen.

The song was "I'd Do Anything for Love, But I Won't Do That." He searched the stage but there were no signs of Melody anywhere. John didn't put much thought into it, he hadn't been to a show; he didn't know if Melody just hung out behind the curtain with a microphone or if she was onstage.

Suddenly he heard Melody's voice ring out and there she was on the stage…singing Patti's part. John did a double-take. Where was Patti? Why was Melody out there? Granted, Melody was doing a pretty good job. She was holding her own and the crowd was pretty responsive. The next few songs were ones he had heard, but nothing he was overly familiar with. Then they were down to the encores. Meat came out on stage and announced "Paradise By the Dashboard Light."

John watched intently. This was the song that had gotten Randy and Melody into trouble. But then it dawned on him, if she's covering Patti's spot….who would do this song?

Melody came walking out on stage wearing a pretty pink dress and belting out the lyrics to the song.

John took a deep breath, and argued with himself. She wouldn't make-out with him…he was practically her father. She wouldn't do such a thing…would she?

As the part came up, Meat pulled Melody into his arms and began to slow dance with her. Then he slowly leaned down, and as Melody nodded "Yes" he kissed her. Then he not only kissed her, but he was making out with her. He slid his hand down the side of her body and grabbed her butt as he brought his hand back up he crossed her chest and backed away from her and kissed his hand as the audience cheered him on.

John's temper was boiling by this point. He couldn't believe she would do such a thing! How could she? After everything?

As the song continued and she threw him off of her for the "Stop right there" part. Then the two began to fight on stage.

And John had to admit, it was comical!

Meat had stormed over to her, "What are you singing over here?" He demanded.

Melody bit her bottom lip, "I had sang, it never felt so good."

"Well you know what? You're absolutely correct, it never…ever…felt good with you."

Melody looked at him, "Well I wasn't talking about you?"

"Oh SHUT UP will ya? There's one thing I know...see if you can comprehend this….Not ever…ever…ever again with you." Meat bellowed.

"What did you say?" She asked innocently.

"I SAID NOT EVER AGAIN WITH YOU, ARE YOU DEAF AS WELL?" Meat yelled.

Melody threw her mic down and unzipped her dress. She slid it off and stepped out in a little black nightie with a garter belt holding on her thigh-high pantyhose. She grabbed her mic and walked over to Meat (who had his back turned to her) , "What did you say?"

Meat looked aggervated and as he turned around his eyes bugged out, "Well…umm….maybe one more time."

"Not in your dreams pal." She replied in a sassy tone and walked back to the other side of the stage.

The two bickered with the band backing them for another minute and ended with them telling each other to go fuck themselves and then hugging and kissing quickly on the lips. Then Meat held up her hand and said, "Ladies and Gentleman, Ms. Melody Cuollet" And the crowd cheered.

And even though John felt like he should be happy and cheer for her, all he could do was be pissed off that she was getting felt up and making out on stage with a guy who was almost her father.

He stormed through the crowd and made his way backstage. He held up his pass and wandered around until he saw Jimmy's back in a dressing room doorway.

Jimmy was congratulating her on making it through without messing any of the songs up. She didn't miss any cues and was right on pitch wise for most of the show. The few times she wasn't, it didn't stand out bad enough for anyone to notice.

Melody was so happy, she had made her dad proud and she was pretty sure Meat was proud of her. But

"What the hell was that?" John hollered at her from the doorway and halfway behind Jimmy.

Melody looked startled, "What was what?"

Jimmy held up his hands, "I'll leave you two alone.

"What do you think?" John angrily snapped at her.

"Can you shut the door please? And keep your voice down." She snapped back.

"So, did you have a good time? Whoring yourself around with the man that was almost your father?"  
>John yelled as he shut the door.<p>

Tears filled Melody's eyes…she felt like she had been slapped in the face. "_You think I was whoring myself around? John, Patti's sick. I stepped up and took her place. The show must go on. Do you think I'm going to get mad at you if Vince has you sucking face with a diva? NO, because it's part of your job_." She said emotionally as she signed. "_Do you even understand what an honor tonight was for me? I'm a deaf girl singing lead female vocals for a very famous singer and I didn't screw it up. I carried the tunes, I hit most of the pitches, I could keep up with the cues and changes and the transitions_."

"_You can try and justify it anyway you want, but it still doesn't disguise the fact that you are up there basically being molested. That's practically incest Melody, he could have been your father. First you whored around with Randy even though you were supposed to be my girlfriend and he's married to Sophie. Now you're just whoring around with another married guy. Are you ever happy with what you have?"_ John angrily hollered at her.

Melody broke down crying, "_I can't keep up with you, you're not signing and you're talking too fast. All I've picked up on is you keep calling me a whore. And I know he could have been my dad, BUT he wasn't. Now he's the man I work for. And this was a part of the job. Just like acting. John, I didn't do this to hurt you. I did this as part of my job. This was a HUGE night for me. You're the only one who isn't proud of me. I understand being angry that I didn't forewarn you, but it's not like I wasn't going to tell you. I would have told you tonight when we Skyped. I couldn't reach you earlier because I knew your schedule." _

"_You could have text me, it's not like you can call me anyways."_ He signed back.

"You're right I could have, and I'm sorry I didn't. I can also TTY. I know it's awkward, but it does work." She replied.

"You know I hate that, trying to talk to an interpreter as if I was talking to you." John replied rolling his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry you're so mad. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's not like I'm having a relationship with him. It's just for the stage. And I'm sorry if you can't accept that. But you…."

"_Don't try and use this job as an excuse to make out with whoever you want just because it's a part of the damn song. It's such a bullshit excuse. If you want to run around and fool around with any old guy just because the song tells you too then that's your prerogative, but it sure as hell won't be while I'm dating you._" John hollered. "_Jesus Christ it's as if you're happy being incestuous with him_."

Melody's temper peaked, "_I can't believe you would stand here and insult me like this. I'm not a WHORE just because I do my damn job. Just leave, and call me when you're ready to talk to me about it like an adult. Oh wait, TTY'ing with your deaf girlfriend bothers you, I guess you can just text me._" She hollered and signed furiously. And when Melody hollered, it was loud.

John shook his head, "Fine." And he walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Melody broke down in gut-wrenching, heart-breaking sobs. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. Jimmy came in to comfort her, but she just pushed him away. "I need some time." Was all she could choke out.

John slammed the car door shut and floored it out of there. He was so pissed right now…"how could she do this?" Was all he could think.

**What do you think? Who was in the right? Please read and review and give me your reactions and thoughts. THANKS!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry this is so late. I got to the end, and when I went to save it, my Word froze and I lost all 7 pages. ALL 7 pages! Grrr! SO, here we go again. Hopefully this one will be better and I'll be saving OFTEN. Happy Holidays to everyone! My goal is to have a couple chapters up this week, so stay tuned and PLEASE read and review! **

By the time John got to the highway, he knew damn well he was in the wrong. What made him snap like that? Well, he had been bottling up his frustration knowing that Randy and Melody had made out, and as much as he tried to act like it wasn't bugging him, it kind of did. Then to walk in and find her on stage making out with Meat was too much. He knew it was her job. He knew it was a possibility…he just never thought it would happen. Then it did and instead of acting mature, he completely lost his cool…and possibly lost the woman he loved. And it didn't help that he didn't just lose it in front of Melody…but he did it with Jimmy and Meat nearby…STUPID STUPID STUPID.

John whipped a u-turn and flew back to the arena. He flew into the parking lot and went running into the backstage area. He started knocking on Melody's dressing room door like a mad man. "Melody, please, will you open the door? I'm sorry Melody. I didn't mean to lose my temper. I'm so sorry."

Jimmy came walking up behind John and cleared his throat. John flinched and turned around and came face to face with a very pissed off looking girlfriend's father. "Sir, I am so sorr…" Was all he could get out before Jimmy interrupted him.

Jimmy held up his hand, "Don't say another fucking word. How dare you come storming back here screaming at my daughter like she's some piece of shit? Accusing her of incest and enjoying making out with older, married men? You need to learn some self-control. Don't EVER let me hear you calling her a WHORE ever, and I MEAN EVER again. You're on strike two, and I pretty much stayed out of the first fight where you slept with your ex, but when you personally attack my daughter like you did, I'm getting involved. Now you need to make a decision right here and right now if you can handle her life or not. It's not perfect and it's not very defined, but I swear to you on EVERYTHING holy, if I find out you've acted like a monster with her again…you're going to regret every minute of the rest of your life."

"Jim, I never meant to hurt her. I didn't mean what I said. Yes I totally over-reacted and I am so sorry. I love her with all of my heart and I only want to be with her." John began to apologize.

"Right now your words mean absolutely dick to me." Jimmy said as he started to walk away. "And by the way, in case you forgot, Melody's deaf. Knocking on the door and begging for forgiveness is only giving us a show. You have to walk in." And he continued walking out the back door.

Suddenly Melody's door whipped open and she walked right into John. She took a step back with a surprised look on her face, "What are you doing here?" She asked. "Did you come up with something else to insult me about?"

John shook his head and began to sign as he spoke, "_No. Melody, I'm so sorry for how I reacted. You're absolutely right, I should have been proud of you and I AM very proud of you. I know you would support me in anything that Vince would ask me to do for my career and I should be of yours. I have no right to judge you._"

Melody interrupted, "You're damn right you don't. I am a grown woman and I make my own decisions. And yes, I was one hundred and ten percent wrong for getting drunk and making out with Randy. That was completely my fault and I deserve you being upset about it. BUT, you should know damn well by now that I want to be with you, and only you. And most of all, I LOVE YOU. Did you hear me, I LOVE YOU. Why isn't that enough for you?" By this point she had tears streaming down her cheaks. "I think we need a break John. You need to do some soul-searching to figure out if you truly want to be with me or not."

John's eyes filled with tears as he heard her say the words "I think we need a break" and he grabbed her hand so she'd look at him, "PLEASE Melody…don't do this. I love you, it is enough, it's more than enough. I swear to you, I'll change. I'll do anything it takes, PLEASE don't end this. You are my world."

Melody looked him in the eyes, "I'm sorry John. I tucked away all of the red flags and all of my insecurities after what happened with Liz. BUT, you came in here and you not only insulted me and my job, but you insulted my family. And I'm sorry if you can't handle the fact that I'm completely ok with stepping up and filling Patti's shoes while she's sick BUT I am. And thank you for screaming my personal family secrets loud enough for the entire arena to hear. Now people know Jimmy's my dad, people know Meat could have been…AND overall, you called me a WHORE. Not just one time, but many times. You're killing me John…I'm sorry. We need a break. You need to figure out what you truly feel about me. Figure out if I truly mean anything to you or not. I'm sorry. Goodbye John."

John's whole body crumpled as she walked down the hallway. He began to all out cry. How could he have done this?

He ran after her, and grabbed her hand as she was walking onto the bus, "Can I have one more minute?"

Melody sighed and looked at the bus driver, "Can I have one more minute?"

"That's it, we've gotta go." He gruffly replied.

Melody turned around and walked down the stairs. She crossed her arms and looked at him, "What is it John?"

He leaned in and kissed her. As much as Melody wanted to kiss him back and melt and tell him it was ok, she gathered up all of her strength and pulled away. She looked at him, "I'm sorry John, I've gotta go." And before he could say anything, she was on the bus and they were pulling away.

John stood there in the dark, watching the bus drive away. There was nothing he could do…nothing he could say.

Melody made her way to her seat and plopped down. Jimmy sat down next to her, but before he could say anything to her she leaned onto his shoulder and began to sob.

The next day John sent her flowers and text her a few times telling her he loved her and that he was sorry and that they didn't need a break. Maybe they needed more time together?

Melody finally text him back, "How can you tell me you love me when you don't respect me? You can't be proud of me or support me, but I'm supposed to believe you love me? You hurt me deeply, and dammit John, I loved you. I wanted nothing more than to be your one and only girl. But EVERYTIME we get going really good, we wind up taking two steps back. We need this break to figure out where we're at with our lives and if you truly can handle being with me. Now please…let me be."

John re-read the text three times and finally threw his phone in his bag. Just as he did Randy walked in, "What's going on?"

"She just told me to leave her alone. She wants a break. She thinks I can't handle being with her because of her odd background and her being deaf. I mean, I learned sign language, what more does she want from me?"

"Dude, being a good boyfriend to a deaf girl means more than just learning sign language. It means taking the time to really learn about her stuff. Like the TTY or TTD machines, I know they're a pain in the ass, but to her it's the most amazing thing ever because it's the only way she can talk on the phone. Melody loves you very, very much. You just have to show her that you can love her more than that. Melody has an innate fear that you'll get tired of dealing with her deafness and you'll just move on to a pretty girl who can hear." Randy replied.

John looked at Randy with an odd look, "You were almost philosophical…and how do you know so much about her?"

"Because we've gotten to be friends. And when Sophie called her this morning, she let Melody vent a bit about what's going on between the two of you."

John did a double-take, "Sophie called her?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah, she had to bitch her out a bit, and when Melody broke down sobbing Sophie couldn't help but soften up."

"But Melody can't talk on the phone."

Randy rolled his eyes, "Dude, do you listen? Sophie text her and Melody went to the library to use their TTD machine."

"Being with Melody is not just a fad. It's not just something to try. I could find another hearing Melody, but I wouldn't love her. I love Melody for being Melody…all of Melody; her deafness; her kooky family; EVERYTHING."

Randy smiled, "That's what she needs to know. Maybe give her some space and then go drop in."

John nodded, but didn't say anything. Randy actually had some good advice.

The rest of the weekend went by and it was hard on both John and Melody. Which in turn made it hard on everyone around them.

Melody sulked around. She kicked at the ground and was lacking the enthusiasm she normally faced the world with. By the time Sunday night's show was over, she just wanted to go home and crawl into her bed and sob.

She had sat down and had a really great talk with Meat, and then had a very opinionated, anti-John talk with her dad which did her no good. Meat had told Patti, Pearl and Amanda who in turn told Deborah and Leslie. All she did was field texts from everyone telling her what to do about her misery, but yet she didn't know what to do.

Melody arrived home and found a note that her roomie would be coming home with the baby later today. She smiled, she was very happy for Alex and Noah. She looked around the place and realized none of her special equipment had been set up yet. She made a mental note to ask Jimmy to come over and install it…again.

She made her way up to her loft and flopped herself down on the bed. Melody finally had the time to just sit and cry.

Melody cried herself to sleep. When she woke up and went downstairs, Alex and Noah were home with the new baby.

She gasped, "You're home! SO, girl or boy? Name? Tell me everything!"

They both laughed. "Well, this is little Daisy. She was seven pounds, nine ounces and twenty inches long. She was born Friday night at six thirty seven p.m." Alex said to Melody.

"And she has a set of lungs that are amazing." Noah replied.

Melody hugged them both, "May I hold her?"

"Of course!" Alex said happily. She handed her baby Daisy.

Melody sat down and snuggled the baby. Holding the baby reminded her of the break with John. It made her think of the cochlear implant, and how she had hoped it would help enable her hear a baby crying over a monitor. She looked over at Alex and Noah, "Here you go. I'm sorry. John and I are on a break and I'm just still depressed."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Alex said as she took the baby back.

"Are you doing ok?" Noah inquired.

Melody shrugged, "I don't know at times. still depressed."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Alex said as she took the baby back.

"Are you doing ok?" Noah inquired.

Melody shrugged, "I don't know at times. It goes in waves. But I'm going to go back upstairs. Thank you for letting me hold her. My dad is going to come over on Wednesday and install some of my stuff, I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, you put in whatever you need." Noah said with a smile.

"Thanks." She said quietly. Then she made her way upstairs.

All through Raw, John's head was in the fog. He couldn't think of anything but just how much he missed Melody. All he wanted to do was to text her and apologize more, but he knew that would just make her more angry.

Vince had pulled John aside and asked him what the problem was. He could tell John was in a funk and he didn't want it affecting his performance on the show.

John looked at him, "No matter what's going on in my personal life, I will not let it affect the show sir."

"Good. And tomorrow we need you to go to Walter Reed and visit some of the wounded soldiers."

John nodded, he would never say no to something that involved the armed forces. Let alone the ones that were injured protecting America's freedom. "Yes sir."

And once Vince walked away, John headed off to grab Randy and hit the gym. He needed to work off some steam.

That night Melody laid in her bed and flipped through the channels; when she came across Raw. At the sight of John running down the ramp and sliding into the ring she broke down in tears. Damn she missed him. But, she knew this needed to be done. She quickly turned the channel to E! so she could get herself lost in someone else's drama and try to forget about her own.

Tuesday John arrived at the Walter Reed Medical Center and was ready to get started. He was going to finish later in the afternoon or early evening and then fly into New York. He was going to crash at a hotel and then head over to Melody's new house.

John put on a smile and began his visit. They were definitely helping to keep his mind off of everything that was going on.

On his way to the airport, he had a better idea. Instead of showing up at her house tomorrow, he was going to surprise her on her birthday…maybe. Or maybe he should be there earlier? He was so confused…What could he do to win her back?

**What do you guys think? Does John go sooner or later? Will Melody give him another chance, or will she tell him it's too late? PLEASE read and review! Another chapter tonight or tomorrow! I'm on a roll! **


	22. Chapter 22

John broke down and called his dad. He needed real, straight-up advice. On the second ring his dad answered, "Hey son, what's up?"

John began to cry, "I lost my temper and I blew up at Melody and she said we needed a break and that I need to figure out what I truly want in life and to find out if I truly want to be with her or not."

John Sr nodded on his end of the phone, "Well son. What did you lose your temper about?"

"I just get so frustrated, her family dynamic has been so fucked up. And the normal back-up singer was sick so she stepped in and filled in for her. Which means Melody was the one making out with Meat Loaf on stage, and I freaked out. I started yelling at her backstage in front of her dad and loud enough for everyone to hear that she was committing incest with the man that was almost her father and I called her a whore a few times. Between the fact that Jimmy is the oddest and freakiest man alive and she's never really had a mom and then with her making out with Randy when I was with Liz and then this caught me off-guard and I just blew a gasket. I really screwed things up now."

"So she is the one that wanted the break?" John Sr. asked.

"Yeah. She feels like I don't really know if being with her is what I want. I guess looking back on it, I haven't been very compromising. I mean, I learned ASL, but I was doing some research on the internet and I realized that there's a helluva lot more to being her boyfriend than just learning how to sign. God Dad, I truly love her. I wanted us to work towards living together and working towards being together forever. I could see us getting married."

"Do you hear yourself son?" John Sr interjected. "You're talking about wanting to live together and wanting to marry her and maybe start a family, but you haven't mentioned anything about learning how to respect her needs and wishes and supporting her career choices."

"That just comes along with it. I want to sit down and have a long talk with her. I want her to know exactly how I feel. I want to support her; I want to be in the wings cheering her on. I want to laugh and tease her and Meat about these shows. I want her dad to like me again, right now he hates me."

"Do you blame him? How would you feel about the man who cheated on your little girl, and then started fighting with her and called her a whore? How do you think I would feel about her if she cheated on you and was calling you an asshole?" John Sr replied.

"Yeah I know. I just…I need to fix this. I need to make this right." John replied sounding flustered. "I'm not saying that I wasn't wrong, I'm just saying that I need to talk to Jimmy and apologize. I need to talk to Meat and apologize. I need to get ahold of Melody and tell her how much she means to me and how much I need her in my life."

"Do you really need her in your life? Or do you just need the idea of her being in your life? I mean, son, you guys have only been together for a few months and I just want to make sure you've truly given this some thought. I mean, I don't want this to sound bad, but if you are ready to move on with your life, then this is your opportunity to go on." John Sr advised.

"Dad, I've been doing some serious thinking. I have sat and pictured my life without her and it's dark and horrible. I don't want anyone else in my life. I want to win her back and prove to her that I am truly worthy of her love."

"Then why are you yackin' on the phone with me son? Get out there and get your girl." John Sr. said with a laugh. "And just tell me if you still need us in Vegas this weekend."

"Ok, will do." John said as he hung up. He grabbed his laptop and threw some clothes in a bag. He knew what he needed to do.

It was now Thursday morning, and Melody was finally doing a little better. But she was still mopey. She went out and went shopping but she'd see something that she would think would be nice for John and then it would make her sad again.

By the time she got back to her place that afternoon and her Dad was just getting there. He looked a little paler than usual.

"Hey dad, are you ok? You don't look like you're feelin' that well." She said to him as she gave him a hug.

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Let's get this stuff installed." Jim said hugging her back.

As Jimmy went to work in her bedroom, Melody started to make chicken noodle soup for him. She was out in the kitchen for awhile. As she called for him, he wasn't coming out to eat his soup.

She walked upstairs calling for him and went into her bedroom.

Melody gasped, she found Jimmy laying on the floor gasping for breath and holding his chest. "Oh my God, Dad. What's wrong?"

Jimmy was trying to tell her that his chest hurt and he couldn't breathe. She got up and ran downstairs but Alex and Noah were gone and her TTD machine wasn't hooked up yet. "FUCK!" She screamed. She quickly grabbed the phone and held it up to her ear, but she couldn't hear anything. She dialed 911, but she didn't know when there was an operator on, and she didn't even know if Alex had the phone hooked up yet. They hadn't been there long before she had the baby.

Melody started crying as she hung up the phone and began to call out as she ran back up the stairs. "Dad, Dad…I can't call 911. I don't know if there's a dial tone." But by the time she got up there he had passed out.

She ran back down the stairs and whipped open the door to run to the house next door and saw a cab pulling in her driveway and John got out. Melody started screaming, "HURRY! Dad collapsed upstairs and I can't call 911!"

John ran into the house and grabbed the cordless as he ran upstairs. He turned on the phone and called 911. Melody crouched down by her Dad and was trying to wake him up. John was signing to Melody about what had happened before he collapsed.

Melody signed back that he said he wasn't feeling well. He was pale, and seemed like breathing was a bit labored.

John signed that there was an ambulance on the way.

Melody nodded. John was finishing 4seemed like breathing was a bit labored.

John signed that there was an ambulance on the way.

Melody nodded. John was finishing 4seemed like breathing was a bit labored.

John signed that there was an ambulance on the way.

Melody nodded. John was finishing up his call with the 911 operator when the ambulance arrived.

They rushed in and began helping Jim. As they hooked up oxygen and used smelling salts and got Jimmy to awaken. They were hooking him up to a few things and Melody let them know that he does have a history of a heart attack and slight stroke. The paramedics were trying to get more information from her, but they were talking way too fast and she couldn't keep up. They gave up with her and got him ready to be loaded into the ambulance.

"Normally we only allow one person in the ambulance, but none of us know sign language. Can you interpret?" One of the paramedics asked John.

He nodded, "Yeah, I can."

"Alright, tell her lets get in and get to the hospital."

John looked over at Melody and began signing "_They'll let me ride with you so I can interpret if you're ok with that._"

Melody nodded and signed back, "_That's fine with me._"

They climbed into the back of the ambulance and they took off towards the hospital. Melody held Jim's hand and stroked it, "Oh Daddy, are you going to be ok?" She whispered.

"I feel a little better. The pain isn't as bad as it was before." Jimmy said slowly, but he wasn't himself yet.

John signed it to Melody just in case she couldn't catch it.

The paramedics were questioning Melody and Jim and John was helping out when he was needed. At the hospital they took Jim into a room and left John and Melody in the waiting room.

The minute those double doors closed, Melody lost it. She broke down crying.

John guided her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. He rubbed her back and didn't say anything. He just let her cry."

"Oh John, What if he's having another heart attack? I almost lost him last time…I can't handle this again." She sobbed.

John tilted her head up so she would look at him. "Even if he is having another heart attack, I am pretty sure that he would pull through this one just fine. He was already coming around when we were in the ambulance. And you are so strong and such a great daughter that I think you would be an amazing support system for him."

She feigned a smile and held him, "I'm sorry you got roped into this. Why are you here?"

"I know that we're supposed to be on a break, and I know you wanted me to leave you alone, but I just couldn't. I wanted to see you and tell you just where I stand and how I feel." John replied. "But obviously here is not the time to go into it."

She nodded, "I thought about texting you. I kind of wanted to see if you still wanted to come out to Vegas but I didn't know if you could handle another concert." Then her bottom lip began to quiver, "And now I don't know what's going to happen."

John hugged her again, "Let's just keep thinking positively. We'll say a prayer and we'll hope. Do you need to call anyone?"

She glared at him, "Maybe you forgot, I can't even call 911…how in the hell would I call someone?"

John had a discouraged look on his face, "Sorry…I just meant was there anyone I should call for you?"

"Can you call Meat? He should know that there might be a snafu with the show on Saturday."

John took a deep breath, calling Meat wasn't exactly high on his list after what happened backstage, but he'd do anything for Melody. She pulled out her phone and gave him Meat's phone number.

On the third ring he finally answered, "This is Meat."

"Umm…hi Meat. It's John…John Cena."

Meat paused, "Hi John. What can I do for you? Melody won't be with me till Saturday."

"Thanks Sir, but that's not why I was calling. I'm calling because Melody wanted me to let you know that Jimmy collapsed at her house today. We're at the hospital but we don't know what's going on yet." John said cautiously.

"Oh God, how's Melody doing? Does she need me out there?" Meat asked concerned.

John waved his arm to catch Melody's attention, _"Do you want him to come out here?"_ He signed to her.

She signed back, "_No. Tell him we'll keep him posted. Just wanted to forewarn him that I don't know what's going to happen_."

"She said to wait and she wanted you to have a heads up and she'll let you know." John replied.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know." Meat said as he hung up.

John patted her shoulder, "Meat said thanks for letting him know."

She nodded. She got up and began to pace back and forth.

Finally a doctor walked out, "Melody Cuollet Steinman?"

John waved his hand and caught Melody's attention and pointed towards the doctor. As he got up to walk over to there also.

The doctor shook Melody's hand, "Nice to meet you Melody. Your dad is doing just fine. It wasn't a heart attack, or even anything heart related…your dad has pleurisy."

John signed what the doctor said because Melody looked confused.

"What is pleurisy?" She asked.

"Pleurisy occurs when the double membrane, called the pleura, that lines the inside of the chest cavity and surrounds each of the lungs becomes inflamed. So all we need to do is prescribe him some antibiotics, make sure he's well hydrated and he'll be ready to leave." The doctor explained.

Melody's eyes teared up, "That's great, there's no heart attack, no stroke, nothing like that. Just this pleurisy stuff?"

The doctor nodded, "Yup, he just has pleurisy. He'll need to rest and take it easy for a few days."

Melody smiled, "That's great, thank you SO much."

"You're welcome. I'll take you to his room." The doctor replied.

The doctor dropped the two off outside of Jim's door. Melody thanked him again and waited for the doctor to walk away before looking at John.

"I'm sure you're anxious to see him too, but would you mind if I went in by myself first?" Melody asked nervously.

John shook his head, "No, not at all. Go ahead."

Melody signed thanks and headed inside the room. Jim looked up at her, "God I feel like such an idiot."

Melody sat down next to him, "Don't, I've never heard of pleurisy. I'm just glad it's not your heart."

Jim nodded and signed, "_Yeah. So…I guess I owe John a thank you for calling 911 for you and me. But I still don't forgive him for everything else_."

Melody rolled her eyes and signed, "_Dad, really? Can we discuss this at another time? John and I have to have a heart-to-heart talk about our relationship, and until we do, as far as I'm concerned, we're still on a break._"

"_All I'm saying is that you don't need to rush into taking him back. You can make him work for it_." Jim replied.

Melody shook her head and held up her hand, "_I'm done with this talk. John would like to come in and see you also. I'm going to go and get him._"

Melody stood up and picked up Jim's hand, and said out loud, "Dad, I know that life has thrown us its share of curveballs. And I know that we've had our ups and downs…but I want you to know that I love you."

Jim smiled and squeezed her hand, "I know I'm not much of a father…it's a title that I haven't really earned. But I love you so much and I'm really thankful that you're my daughter. And I want you to know that no matter what you do with or in your life, I will support you. I might drop an "I told you so," but I'll be there for you."

Melody smiled and hugged him, "Thanks Dad."

She opened the door and waved to John to come in, "Dad, you remember John."

Jim looked at him, "Thank you for calling 911 for Melody. She tried, but it just didn't work."

"No problem Sir, I'm just glad I was there to help." John replied as he held out his hand to Jim.

Jim looked at Melody and then looked at John and shook his hand.

"So, how long until you get to get out of this place?" John asked.

"They have me on an antibiotic iv and fluids, then I can go home. I just don't know if I'll feel well enough to make it to your party in Vegas." Jim said to Melody. "I don't want you to spend it alone."

"Alone? I'll hardly be alone. But, if you're too sick to travel, I completely understand. If you want me to call off everything and spend it in New York with you, I would do that for you. Family means everything to me." Melody replied.

"I know you would. But I would never ask you to do that. Besides, you've got your family coming out to see you. Besides, I'm going to do everything I can to get on that flight Saturday morning." Jimmy replied.

John took Melody's hand, "I'd still really like to come out and see you."

She slowly pulled her hand away, "I don't know about that yet."

"Listen to me Melody," He said as he turned her to face him, his eyes were brimming with tears. "I love you more than anything I've ever known. I know that I've been a very inconsiderate jerk, I've mouthed off to you like an ungrateful asshole and I've completely taken a wonderful girl like you for granted. I've disrespected you, and I have been anything but supportive. BUT…I've done some soul searching and I've realized that I can't picture what my life would be without you. I want you in my life…forever. I want us to live together and grow together and become married and have kids of our own, if we decide to have them, one day. I want our house to be fully equipped with every piece of equipment you need and I'll be there to use it with you. I want to call you on your TDD machine and spend hours on the phone with you and the interpreter having long conversations about nothing and everything. I want you to do whatever you want in life that makes you happy and I will be right there by your side to support you the whole time. If that means being on stage and making out with Meat every night, then by all means do it and I'll be there cheering you on and bragging that you're my girl. I want to be there holding your hand when you wake up from having the cochlear done, and if you change your mind I'll support you with that too. All that matters is there is nobody else in my life that I could ever want to be with more than you. Only once in a lifetime does a love like this come along...and I'll be dammed if I let it slip away. Please Melody, give me another chance to make all of your dreams come true."

Melody stood there in shock…thanks to the room being quiet enough and John talking loud enough for her hearing aid to pick up, she was able to actually hear what he had said as she read his lips….did he truly mean everything he was saying?

***WOW! John hadn't planned on all of this happening, but now that it has….will Melody accept him back? Did he lose his chance for good? What will Melody's 30th birthday hold in store for her? PLEASE read and review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**THANK YOU for the reviews! I really appreciate them! I hope everyone is having a very happy holidays!**

Melody looked at John tearfully, "That was really beautiful and I know it was from your heart. But those are some really big hopes and dreams when our relationship has faced so many obstacles already."

John looked heartbroken, "But if we can make it through these, we can make it through anything, It just takes love. Love conquers all."

"But what happens when love just isn't enough?" She asked.

John didn't know how to answer that. He tried, but he just couldn't. He looked a bit dumbstruck, "I…I don't know."

Jimmy felt out of place. This was supposed to be a private talk between the two of them. He sure as hell wasn't going to say anything. Part of him felt for John. If he truly loved Melody the way he said he did, then it was the kind of beautiful love all fathers want for their daughters. He knew Melody was different, not just because she was deaf, but because of how she was raised. She was a bit jaded and hardened when it came to life and love. She had built up a wall around her heart, and unfortunately when she had forgiven John so easily the first time and then this happened she built it up even more. Now it looked like John might have to fight like hell to break through it. And the other side of Jim said, "John did it to himself." So he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Melody looked at John, "I'm sorry, but I just can't yet. A couple days doesn't seem like enough time to really figure anything out."

"What is there to figure out? I don't understand Melody." John questioned.

"I know how I feel John, that's not the issue here. I don't know if you can handle loving me." Melody replied sternly.

"Why do you keep saying that? Why do you keep trying to make this harder than it needs to be? You're only deaf, it's not the end of the world." John fired back.

"You know what? I can't do this right now. Dad's sick and there's a lot to figure out and a lot going on and this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation." Melody said as she shook her head.

John took a step towards Melody and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned into her ear, "I love you and I'm so sorry I ever hurt you. I vow to you, I will do whatever it takes and I will wait however long I need to. I will always be here for you." Then he kissed her sweetly.

Jim was still pretending to be asleep. John looked at him and then looked at Melody, "Tell your dad I said I hope he feels better soon." Then he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

John sat down in a waiting room chair and sighed. He was trying not to break down. He told her exactly how he felt, but it didn't change anything.

Melody sat down in the extra chair and put her head in her hands. She let everything that was said run through her head a few times. She knew she loved John…was she really making things harder than they needed to be? Dammit, why was her heart so difficult?

Finally she got up and walked out of the room. She spotted John walking down the hallway towards the doors. Melody jogged after him.

"John wait." She said as she grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her. "I love you. Everything you said to me is everything I've longed to hear. And yes I actually heard you. I've never stopped loving you. I want to be your girl, I want to build a life with you one day, BUT with that being said, I just can't yet. I know you don't understand…Hell I don't even understand. But I just can't say yes until it feels right. Does that make sense?"

John nodded, "Yeah…it does. I'll see you later." Then he walked out of the hospital doors.

Melody's eyes filled with tears as she watched him walk away…Did she just make a horrible mistake?

**Please read and review! Did Melody just lose the love of her life?**


	24. Chapter 24

***I hope everyone had a great holiday! Sorry for the delay. Between the holidays and then the whole family (including me) getting ROCKED by the stomach flu and last but not least, me starting a new job I haven't had free time. Please forgive me! But I'm back with regular updates now! PLEASE read and review!***

A few hours later, the hospital released Jim and Melody went home with him. She wanted to make sure he was taken care of and resting.

The next morning, Jimmy awoke to the sound of the piano. The song was haunting and heart-breaking yet beautiful all at the same time. No words were being sung…just music.

He got out of bed and stood in the doorway watching Melody pour her heart and soul onto those keys. When she stopped he stomped on the floor and clapped.

Melody jumped and blushed, "I'm so sorry I woke you."

Jim sat down beside her on the piano bench. "_No worries, are you ok?_" He signed as he asked. He could see that she wasn't wearing her hearing aids. "_You did all of that without your hearing aids? It was beautiful._"

Melody sighed and shrugged, then she laid her head on his shoulder, "I'm not sure what I am."

He tapped her shoulder so she'd look at him, "_Talk to me_."

Melody sighed, "Do you think that I make things harder than they need to be? Or more complicated?"

"_What do you mean?_" He questioned.

"Don't play dumb." She said sternly. "I know you weren't asleep when John and I were talking."

Jimmy stood up and faced her, _"Melody, I usually say what's on my mind. And I don't censor, I don't hold back and God knows I don't sugarcoat a damn thing. BUT, this time I'm keeping my mouth shut. With that being said, yes you are a hard-edged, strong-willed, beautiful girl who has never let her deafness hold her back from accomplishing anything….but you are a bit complicated. This is something you need to figure out for yourself_." And he walked out of the room.

Melody was so confused. She had wanted John to truly make sure of his feelings...and to her a couple of days wasn't enough…But on the other hand, who was she to say how long was long enough?

She got up and began to pace back and forth. Her heart was screaming at her to quit being stubborn and text him, but her head questioned every thought she had.

Jimmy was in the kitchen making coffee and toast when he heard Melody stomping around. She finally emerged looking incredibly cranky. "I'm going out. I need to figure things out. Are you going to be ok if I'm gone?" She asked.

"Yes dear. But take your phone so I can text you and make sure you're ok." Jimmy replied.

She nodded and grabbed her purse and walked out the door.

**MEANWHILE**….

John was laying in his hotel room bed watching crappy tv. He was mopey. This had gone NOTHING like he had hoped.

He knew he had to get up and get ready to head to the airport. John had decided after everything went to hell yesterday he would go home and visit his family and figure out his next move.

John grumbled and rolled out of bed. He checked his phone for the millionth time hoping there would be something from Melody…but there wasn't. Then he packed up his things and headed off.

When John got off the plane, he was digging for his phone when he saw his cousin Marc. "What are you doing here?" John asked him.

"I came to apologize for being a total douche-bag asshole. I know I fucked up, but I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. You're my family and I love you like a brother. Can you forgive me?" Marc said genuinely.

John paused for a minute, and then nodded, "Yeah dude. I know what it's like to have a mistake fuck-up everything. So yeah, we're straight." And he gave him a man-hug.

As they walked, Marc looked at John, "Where's your girl?"

John shook his head, "You don't have to worry. We're on a break. Melody and I got into a HUGE fight and I crossed the line and said some pretty shitty things and she said she wanted a break. A few days later I went and saw her, I told her everything from the heart about how I feel, but it didn't do any good."

Marc shook his head, "Dude…chicks like her are tough. They come with baggage and chips on their shoulders. You have to find someone close to her and figure out how to get to her heart."

John looked at him, "And since when are you an expert on chicks like my girl?"

They laughed and Marc shook his head, "Ok, you're right…I'm not an expert. But let's be logical, her dad's a songwriter, right? So words are words…it's the actions that mean everything."

They climbed into Marc's car and headed to John's parents' house.

First his mom gave her advice, and then his dad gave him advice. They all had a very large lunch and let John vent. John Sr. was surprised to see John so upset. Part of him still figured that Melody was a passing phase, but after watching his son breakdown over screwing up and hurting her, he again realized just how much she meant to him.

John excused himself and went to his old room. He pulled out his phone and made a call he knew he needed to make.

Jimmy was trying to get caught up on a few things when his phone rang. He looked at the caller id was surprised to see John's name appear. "Hello?"

"Hi Sir, it's John. I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes."

"Sure, what's up?" Jim asked.

"I wanted to formally apologize for my outburst last week. I was completely out of line and I let my temper and my insecurities get out of control. It's not something that happens often and I am so sorry that I insulted your daughter, your parenting and your friends." John said solemnly.

Jim sat down on the couch, "John, I appreciate your apology. Now, hear me out. I told Melody this morning that I was staying out of this. But, I want you to know that I know Melody can have a chip on her shoulder. If you love her as much as you say, then don't give up on her unless it's truly over. You have awoken feelings inside of her that she never knew existed and that scares her to death. She worries about your feelings for her because of how her deafness will impact the life you two may have together. So the fight really rattled her core. She's having problems getting herself realigned. Do you know what I'm saying?" He couldn't help it. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown a soft spot for John.

John nodded, "Thanks Jim. I'm not giving up….matter of fact, I'm fightin' like hell to get her back."

"Don't sit and tell me about it. Go do it. She's driving me crazy." Jim replied sternly and hung up.

John sat in his room for a minute. Then he called Jimmy back, "Jimmy, I've got an idea…and I'm going to need your help."

**What do you think? Will he be able to win her back? Tomorrow is Melody's birthday…will it be a happy one? PLEASE read and review!**


	25. Chapter 25

Melody spent the day wandering around New York. She went and got a mani/pedi since her birthday was tomorrow and she wouldn't have time before the show. She also stopped and got herself a massage. It was hard to believe that tomorrow she would be turning thirty years old. She had grown up telling herself that by the time she was thirty she'd have life figured out…but she hadn't even begun that yet!

Her phone vibrated as she walked out from her massage. She looked and there was a text from her dad. "I have messages for you. Are you with anyone with a TTD machine or near a library?"

"I'm close to the library. Give me ten minutes." She text back.

Soon Jim's phone was ringing. "Hey, your surgeon's office called. They had a cancellation and wanted to know if you were interested in moving your surgery up to next Wednesday?"

"Next Wednesday? Are you serious? Of course I am! Call them back RIGHT AWAY!" She exclaimed. Then reminded herself she was in a library.

"Ok. I will. Then, I wanted you to know that I'll be going to Vegas with you tomorrow. We have plans with everyone and their mom, so be prepared for a busy birthday."

Melody nodded. All she could do was wish John was joining them. "I'm going to head to my place and take care of a few things. But I'll be there for dinner. I've gotta run. Call the office and tell them I'll take it and I'll reschedule my pre-op."

She took out her phone and sent John a text, "Hey…I know you probably think I'm the biggest bitch in the world, but I really need to talk to you."

John leaped out of his chair when he saw he got a text from Melody. "SHIT!" He looked at Marc, "She text me. She wants to talk to me. But if I talk to her, it's going to ruin my surprise. But is it more important to talk to her now? Or should I wait till tomorrow?"

"Dude, she's the one who called the break. She can wait a little bit. You're busy." Marc replied.

"But I don't want her to think the wrong thing." John argued.

"You do what you want." Marc said with a laugh, "This is your relationship. You do what you need to

Melody got back to her place after waiting for almost a half hour for John to respond. She rescheduled her pre-op and was all set. Then she paid some bills and balanced her checkbook.

She wasn't sure what to think about John not responding. But it was killing her. Suddenly a hand was on her shoulder. When she looked up, Alex was standing there.

"Hey, someone's here to see you." Alex said slowly.

"Who?"

"Someone named Sophie." Alex replied confused. "I've never seen her before."

Melody looked confused as she got up and walked downstairs. "Sophie? What are you doing here?"

"It's not just me." She said, "Randy's here too. We thought maybe you'd like to go out and clear your head."

"Sure. Let me grab my stuff." Melody said to Sophie. She ran upstairs and grabbed her jacket and her purse. Then she came back down and smiled. "Ok, let's go."

They got outside and Melody saw Randy sitting in a car. She waved to him and grabbed her phone. She text her dad to see if it would be ok if their dinner took a raincheck.

Jimmy text her back to go and have fun and dinner will always be there.

She climbed in the car, "Hey Randy!"

Randy turned and faced her, "Hey! How are you doing?"

Melody shrugged, "I don't know. Let's wait till we're sitting down somewhere so I can really see what you're saying."

They drove to a restaurant and were seated at a table. Melody sat across from Sophie and Randy. Randy reached across the table and tapped her hand to get her attention, "Where are you?"

Melody shook her head, "Sorry. It's just…things have been complicated and I finally got my head on straight today. But now John won't return my text and I'm so afraid that he's given up on me and moved on."

Sophie squeezed her hand, "Now I know John loves you. Maybe his battery is dead? There are so many things that could be going on. And maybe he's trying to clear his head too. Remember, you wanted him to make sure he felt everything he said he did, well now is his chance to figure that out."

Melody nodded, "I know. I just wish I could tell him that I love him. And that I want the same things he does. I found out today that my surgery is bumped up to next Wednesday. There was a cancellation."

"Really? Oh my God, that's great!" Sophie exclaimed.

Randy looked at her, "So you'll be able to hear even better than with hearing aids?"

"Kind of. I mean, yes I'll be able to hear more than what I can now, but I'll always be deaf." Melody replied.

The three of them sat and talked. Randy and Sophie provided a nice distraction for Melody so she didn't concentrate on the fact that John still hadn't responded.

After dinner Melody took them on a little tour of New York and they brought her back to her dad's place. She hugged them both, "Sophie, I'm really glad that you don't hate me after everything. And Randy, thanks for being here. You guys are really great friends."

Melody walked inside and locked the door. She went and sat down by Jimmy on the couch. "Well, I think I did it this time. John still hasn't responded to my text."

Jimmy shook his head, "You are all full of contradictions my dear. You tell him to take the time to figure out if he truly loves you or not. Then you bitch because he's doing it. You tell him on thing but yet you want the other."

Melody nodded, "I know." She whispered.

"Now go to bed. We have an early flight and a busy day tomorrow. Birthday girl." Jimmy replied with a smile.

She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I love you dad. Good night." And she went upstairs.

Melody ran a hot bath and threw in some bubbles. Then she ran downstairs and poured herself a glass of red wine and went back up and climbed into the tub. She slipped into the tub and sighed. Had she made the biggest mistake of her life? Did she take this too far?

After she got out of the tub, she looked and it was almost midnight. Melody checked her phone as she plugged it in on the charger, but there was still no message.

Melody slipped into a t-shirt and crawled into bed. It was official…she had made her bed and now she had to lie in it. She was about to be thirty and alone. All because instead of accepting John's apology she made it to be a big issue. Sophie found it in her heart to forgive Randy for screwing around and yet she couldn't even take an apology for John's temper flaring up.

She tried not to, but she began to cry. Melody cried as quietly as she could into her pillow. Finally she had cried herself to sleep.

Jimmy went upstairs and checked on her. He frowned as he saw her tear-stained cheeks and felt her damp pillow. He pulled out his phone and sent John a text.

Soon John arrived at Jimmy's place with a few bags. "Thanks Jimmy."

Jim nodded. "No problem."

John went inside and into the kitchen. He placed the bags up on the counter. He began to put up decorations and streamers. He also pulled out a beautiful bouquet of red roses in a very pretty crystal vase.

Jimmy sat back and watched John go to town. He was really hoping that all of this would snap Melody out of her funk and help things to get back to normal.

John pulled out candles and a big bag of rose petals. He went from the kitchen and scattered them all the way up to Melody's bedroom door. He took out a small birthday cake and poured two glasses of Melody's favorite red wine. Then he pulled out a couple birthday presents and set them on the table by some candles. He threw a few petals on the table and lit the candles.

Jimmy took that as his time to vanish. He went to his bedroom and closed the door. John had asked him to find Melody's birth certificate and find out the exact time she was born. And according to her birth certificate she was born at 1:23 a.m. So John had everything timed so he could have a drink with her on her exact birthday moment.

John quietly went up the stairs and opened her bedroom door. There was Melody, sleeping peacefully. She had her hand on her phone and was fast asleep.

He very carefully crawled into bed with her. John draped his arm around her and held her close. He began to lightly kiss her neck.

Melody stirred a little bit but didn't fully wake up.

John held her closer and kissed her again.

This time Melody's eyes opened a little bit. She put her hand on top of the hand around her. She felt it for a minute and then jumped. "John?"

John smiled and leaned in close to her ear, "Happy Birthday Melody!" He exclaimed loudly, he was hoping he was loud enough for her to hear.

She turned on the light and tears were in her eyes, "Oh John! I thought you hated me." And she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly.

John held her back and the two began to kiss and make out. Melody looked into his eyes, "John, I love you so much." And she began kissing him again.

He finally pulled his head back, and signed to Melody, "Put your hearing aids in and follow the trail."

She looked puzzled, "What trail?"

"You'll find it." John said giving her one last kiss and he left the room.

Melody got out of bed and her heart was all aflutter. She couldn't believe John was there. Her birthday wish came true. She quickly put in her hearing aids and walked out of her bedroom. She saw the rose petal trail.

Melody's eyes filled with tears and she followed the trail down the stairs. It led into the dining room where the kitchen table had candles and a beautiful bouquet of roses and birthday cake with wine. "Oh my God John…this is amazing." She gasped.

John smiled and held his hand out for hers, "Come and sit down birthday girl." And he guided her to the chair.

Melody looked up at him and smiled, "John, this is so amazing. Thank you so much."

He sat down and took her hand in his, "Baby, I want you to know that I love you. You are the only girl that I ever want to be with. I picture our future, together, hand-in-hand. I want to give you the life that you've always dreamed of and never knew could truly exist. I want this birthday to be the beginning of the rest of your life."

Melody smiled, "Before you go any further, can I say something? You walked away and I knew in my heart that I had held the grudge for too long. But my head said I was doing the right thing. And I think in some ways I did…it made me truly realize just what I felt for you and I kept telling you that you needed to really figure out what you felt for me, but I think deep down I needed to figure out just how and what I felt for you. And I realized that everything you said to me, was everything I've dreamt of having with you."

John's watch began to beep. He turned it off and grabbed the bottle of wine and popped the cork. He poured them each a glass of wine and held up his glass to her. "A toast, to the most beautiful birthday girl in the world. Melody, I love you. Happy thirtieth birthday."

She smiled and tears welled in her eyes again. She clinked glasses with him, "Thanks John…for making my birthday wish come true."

They drank together and then John fed her a bite of birthday cake. "You have some presents love."

Melody smiled, "John, you didn't have to do that."

"You're right, I didn't have to. But more importantly…I wanted to."

She grabbed one of the boxes and opened it. Inside was a velour box and when she opened it, she gasped. It was a beautiful silver bracelet with amazing charms. One charm was a microphone, another was a light bulb, another was a key and the last charm was a present. Melody smiled, "John, this is beautiful! Is there a story behind each one of these?"

He smiled and lifted it out of the box and fastened it onto her wrist. "The microphone is because you have an amazing voice, the light bulb is because you're the light of my life, the key is because you hold the key to my heart and the last one is a present. And that one is there because it's your birthday and because the present is as good of place as any."

Melody hugged him close and kissed him sweetly. "I love it. Thank you SO much John."

"You're welcome babe, keep going."

The next box was larger. She unwrapped it and pulled out a beautiful red, satin dress. It was a halter style and it had an open back. There was a beautiful diamond and pearl broach at the cleavage level in the front and it was flowing down. "Oh my God John…this is so beautiful. What is this for?"

"This is for your arrival in Vegas. When you walk off of the plane, everyone is going to know that you are the most beautiful woman there. And, I have a different plane for us to fly there in. We're flying in style to celebrate your birthday."

She shook her head, "John, this is way too much. I don't know what to say."

"Just say that you like it and that you're ready for the last one."

Melody blushed, "Ok. I love it and yes I'm ready for the last one."

John pulled out a long, skinny box and handed it to her.

Melody opened the box and it was a beautiful silver necklace with a diamond and ruby heart necklace. John smiled, "I know it's not your birthstone, but I wanted it to match the dress, and I know that part of you is tomboy and the other half of you is glamour girl so I wanted something you could also wear anytime."

"John…these are amazing. I love them all. You have made this day so amazing…and it's not even two o'clock in the morning." Melody said as she got up and sat down on his lap and wrapped her arms around him.

John held her close. "Babe, I'm so glad that you're having a great day. I know we have to be up early for our flight, so how about I feed you a few more bites of cake, we take the bottle upstairs and I make love to you?"

Melody smiled, "I think that's a great idea. But I have to ask…how did you do all of this? How did you get in here?"

"Well, I flew home to talk to my parents' about everything and I wound up making up with Marc. I called and apologized to Jim, and then I called and apologized to Meat. I planned this all out, I flew into New York. Then I got everything together and waited for your dad to text me that you were asleep. I came over, set everything up and woke you up," John replied with a smile. Then he fed her a bite of cake.

Melody stood and leaned into his ear, "Why don't you take me upstairs and make love to me?"

John smiled, "I like the sound of that." And he stood up and scooped her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs.

He laid her down on the bed and began to kiss her. Soon they were pulling each other's clothes off and John kept his word and made beautiful, sweet love to her.

When they were finally done, they snuggled into each other. John reached over and turned on the touch lamp on the dimmest setting, "I love you Melody."

She smiled and kissed him, "I love you too. A girl could get used to this you know."

He smiled, "Melody, I could make love to you and lay down to sleep next to you every night for the rest of my life."

She smiled and kissed him, "Aww…that sounds so sweet."

"Good night love." John said after kissing her back.

They turned off the light and quickly drifted off to sleep.

**What a way to kick-off her birthday! There's so much for them to still talk about…what will the private flight entail? PLEASE read and review! **


	26. Chapter 26

**THANK YOU for the wonderful reviews! You guys are great!** PS: If I can't have John for my birthday then neither can anyone else.

Melody awoke to the alarm on her watch vibrating. It was early, she hadn't gotten much sleep. She was too giddy being naked and entangled in John's arms again. They had been through a lot and she now realized just how he loved her and how much she loved him.

John felt her stirring and looked at her with a smile, "_Good morning babe. Happy Birthday love_." He signed to her.

"_Aww…thanks John_." She signed back in response.

"I say…we take a shower…get you all sexy in your pretty dress, greet your dad and head to the airport." John said slowly to her.

Melody kissed his cheek, "I think that sounds like a great idea."

The two kissed a few times and then hustled off to the shower. In the shower John began to kiss the side of her neck. Melody smiled and leaned back against him. "Mmm…does this mean that you have another birthday present for me?"

John turned her around so she was facing him, "Oh, I've gotta present for you alright."

Melody bit her bottom lip, "Mmm…I like the sound of that."

He leaned down and kissed her lovingly. As she kissed him back, their kisses grew in passion. John slid his hands down her back and cupped her butt. Then he slid his hand across her thigh.

Melody took a deep breath and spread her legs a bit. She also reached down and took a hold of his hardening manhood. She squeezed a bit and then began to tease it.

John moaned and he began to nibble her neck and her earlobes. As they began to explore their bodies with their hands and mouths, things were getting hot. He pushed her back against the wall of the shower and kissed her passionately.

Melody moaned as he got a little rough with her. He slid himself inside of her and began to pump quickly and swiftly inside of her.

She dug her nails into his broad, muscular shoulders and held on tight. He held onto her hips as she began to squeeze herself tightly around his hard, throbbing cock causing John to moan and thrust even harder.

She began to pant and John went back to kissing her because he was afraid of Jim hearing. As he could tell she was getting close to climaxing, he let his fingertip trace and tease her ass. That caused Melody to really begin to wiggle and she bit his bottom lip. "Oh God John…" She panted.

John really began to rock her world. Finally they both climaxed together and with the explosion they held each other tightly and melted into each other.

Melody laid her head on his shoulder. She was a little light-headed. "John, there's something I haven't told you yet."

John tilted her head so she could see his response, "What's that hon?"

"My surgery was moved up to next week. Wednesday is my surgery." Melody said with a smile.

"Oh my God! Melody, WOW! If you know that that is exactly what you want, then that's great! I'm really happy for you. Let's talk about this more when we're out of the shower." John replied with a kiss.

They quickly washed up and then got out of the shower. Wrapped in towels, they laid down and snuggled. John handed her her hearing aids.

Once she had them in, he looked at her, "Now Melody, do you really want to do this?"

She nodded, "Yeah I do. I want to hear more things. I miss being able to make a normal phone call, or hear the little things like an alarm clock or a baby crying."

"Are you doing this because you want to do this, or because you think I want you to so our communication is easier? I know I've bitched about it from time to time, but I want you to know that I love you for who you are. Not who I wish you would be. And if you go through that surgery and it doesn't work, you'll be even less hearing than what you are now. Are you truly ready to gamble that?" John replied.

"Yeah I really want this. I know it might not work, but I want this for me. John, would you love me no matter what? I mean, I could be completely deaf tomorrow with no hope in bringing me back to the hearing world…would you still be with me?" Melody asked.

"_Hearing or deaf, I love you for the woman you are inside. And I would do whatever it takes without being selfish anymore to make it work. I love you_." John signed back to her.

She kissed him sweetly, "I love you too."

"Why don't you start getting ready? We have to go soon." John said kissing her back.

Melody got up and headed into the bathroom. She wrapped her hair in curlers and then picked out her favorite underwear and strapless bra. She slid into the dress and was shocked by the picture in the mirror. It was so beautiful. She put on some light make-up and found her favorite pair of silver, sparkly heels.

John went downstairs and found Jimmy sitting at the kitchen table. "So…how did it go?"

"We're definitely back together." John replied with a smile. "And I have to tell you, thank you SO much. I really appreciate it."

Jimmy laughed, "You're welcome. You crazy kids. Is she upstairs getting ready?"

"Yup. She told me about her surgery being moved up to Wednesday also. I made her promise me that she was doing it for her and not because of anything I've ever bitched about, like the TTY…TTD whatever it's called thing. She said it's something she's wanted."

Jimmy nodded, "Yeah, she has for awhile, but she wanted to wait till she was old enough to appreciate it."

They talked about the show in Vegas and who all would be there for it. John had all of his family coming. Even his niece would be coming along with her babysitter. Jimmy told John about how Pearl and Scott were bringing the baby and Amanda was coming. Leslie wouldn't be there, but she was going to send a package along with Amanda. And a lot of the people that Melody stayed with as she grew up were going to be there too. Even Jimmy's brother Steve was going to make it out there.

About a half hour later, Jimmy text Melody, "you're never going to make it to the airport on time if you don't hurry up."

A few minutes later, she appeared. As she walked down the stairs, John had been telling Jimmy about something but then stopped in his sentence. He couldn't believe just how beautiful she looked.

She had on the red dress, her silver, sparkly heels. She had her hair pulled back on the sides and big curls along her shoulders. She had on light make-up and red lip-gloss. Melody was wearing the pretty necklace and bracelet that John had given her.

"Well, what do you guys think?" She said with a smile. Then she twirled around.

Jimmy stood up and hugged her, "You look great! Happy birthday Melody."

She smiled, "Thanks Dad."

"But you can't have my present till we go out for your birthday later." He said with a wink.

"I'm not worried about it Dad." She grinned.

John patiently waited his turn. Then he stood up and hugged her close, "_You look beautiful. Happy Birthday_." He signed and spoke.

She looked him up and down, he was wearing a blue button-down shirt with khakis. "You look pretty hot yourself."

"Are you ready? We have to be to the airport soon." John asked.

She grabbed her silver purse. "Yup, I'm all packed and ready to go." Melody replied.

John grabbed her carry-on and his, Jimmy locked the place up and off to the airport they went.

Once they were there, they said goodbye to Jim as he headed off to catch his flight. Melody walked hand in hand with John. "I can't believe you did all this just for my birthday."

"You only turn thirty once." He said with a smile.

They got to the right desk and were escorted to the private jet. On-board there were flowers and breakfast waiting. Melody smiled, "This is truly amazing John, thank you." And she kissed him.

They were seated and buckled until after take-off. Then they sat at the table and began to eat breakfast. Melody and John talked a bit. Then she smiled a wicked grin, "You know, like you said. You only turn thirty once…I think I'm in the mood to do something wild and crazy."

"Ooh…wild and crazy…like what?" John asked teasingly.

"Maybe a new tattoo…or a piercing…maybe a wild outfit…" She pondered.

"What about something even crazier?" John asked.

"Like what?"

"What about…getting married and moving to Florida?" He threw out there.

Melody did a double-take, "What? Did you just say getting married and moving to Florida?"

John blushed and grinned. His dimples were out in full force. "Yup, I sure did. Melody, I love you and you I know you love me. We know that we're meant to be together. Everything that I've ever said to you, I meant every word. There's something about you…I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Have a family with you. Grow old with you. I want to show you what love and marriage and family is all about. In ways you've never been able to experience before. We have the opportunity to have all of our closest family and friends there. I'm not saying let's have a gaudy, Vegas-style wedding. I'm saying let's do it the way we want…with everyone we want to be there already being there. I'll buy the ring once we get there."

Melody put her hand to her forehead, "John…I don't know to say. I mean, we haven't been together that long. Are you sure you're ready to marry into my crazy life? And are you sure your family is ready to accept me as a daughter-in-law? They are still a bit uncertain with me being deaf. If we move in together, I'd have to have all of my stuff installed…" She began to ramble, but John kissed her and put a finger to her lips.

"Listen to me…or, should I say, read my lips. I love you. You mean everything to me. I don't care if we have to have the house renovated or if we sell it and buy a new one or build a new one. That doesn't matter to me. That's just material things. As far as marrying into your crazy life, yes your family structure isn't very structured. Your dad is eccentric and moody, and you have honorary family members, and that's ok by me. My family has 5 of us, my parents, my cousin, my loud-mouth Grandma, we're a Catholic Italian family and you're a semi-Christian slash semi-Jewish family and I think that we'll all blend nicely. Yes my parents are still getting used to you being deaf, but they like you as a person. And they love how happy we are together. That's what means the most. I know they insert their foot in their mouths, but what fun would family be without quirks?"

Melody smiled and shook her head, "You're crazy."

"You know…this could be the start to the rest of our lives." John replied with a smile.

"Your parents are worried I'm going to give them deaf grandchildren."

"Then let's have a baby and when that baby is proven to be hearing, we'll go and adopt a deaf child and shake up their universe." John said with a tilt of the head.

She looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed, "You mean to tell me you'd adopt a deaf child? Or are you just saying that?"

"I'm saying, if adopting a deaf child was something you would want to do, then why not give a home to a child who needs it because no one else wants the challenge or responsibility. I'm still learning but you're an expert. We could easily do it." John replied sincerely.

She sat back and looked at him with a half-smile, "So tell me Mr. Future Planner…Just how many kids do you foresee us having? Keeping in mind that parenting still scares me."

"First off, what scares you?" John asked.

She bit her bottom lip and looked a bit sheepish, "Being a deaf mom to a hearing child. Not hearing the baby cry."

He reached out and held her hand, "Babe, that's why we would get the monitor system with multiple receivers and they would have lights. They might even make the ones that you can clip on your waist and they'll vibrate. And deaf people have babies all the time."

"Yeah, but I bet their mothers knew how to be a mom. What if my mom's failure to be a mom genes are in my DNA?" Melody replied.

"Then you're smart enough to reach out to your family and friends to help, and I'll be around to help too. We could easily do what Paul and Stephanie do and travel on the road in a tour bus for the days that I'm on the road so you're not always home alone with the baby if you're nervous and then we'll be home when I'm off." John answered. "And, I'm from a big family…so we could have one baby or we could have five and I would be happy. Or if you're really nervous, we don't have to have kids for awhile yet if at all."

Melody smiled, "You're too good to me. If we were to get married, I would definitely want to have a family with you. Us getting married is going to freak everyone out…are you ready for that?"

John smiled, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I love you John, and I would love to be your wife." Melody replied with a smile. "But, keep in mind, the move is going to have to wait a bit. My surgery is in New York. And I'll have to recover close to the doctor."

"That's fine. I understand that. And we have to get the Florida house ready with your equipment anyways. Damn, you haven't seen the house yet, have you? When we catch up with Randy and Sophie, they'll be able to tell you about it." John replied. He got down on one knee and took her hand in his.

"_Melody…will you marry me_?" He signed to her without saying a word.

She lit up in smiles and bit her bottom lip, "_I would love to marry you and become your wife_." She signed back.

The two embraced and began to kiss. This was going to be one helluva Vegas trip….

**What is Jimmy going to think? What about John's family? PLEASE read and review!***


	27. Chapter 27

**THANK YOU for your reviews! It's great to know that you guys are still enjoying the story! Please continue to read and review! I'm forumulating a new story idea involving Randy and his ex-wife…**

They spent the rest of the flight discussing wedding plans and moving plans. There was a lot to figure out as far as the move went. They made a list of the guests that would be at the wedding. They also called a few extra people and made flight arrangements for them such as John's grandma and Melody's best friend Malika.

When they landed they headed over to the jewelry store. They needed to pick out rings, and they only had a little over an hour before Jim, Randy and Sophie's plane landed. Then shortly after that, John's family's plane would be landing.

Melody was still a little nervous. They had decided that when Melody thanked everyone for coming out to her birthday she would give the news then, but now she was thinking maybe they should tell their parents first.

She reached out and grabbed John's hand as they were about to enter the jewelry store. "John, wait. I've been thinking. Maybe we should tell our parents first…then tell everyone else like we talked about."

John looked at her with a slightly confused look, "Why?"

"Because they're our parents and I think they should be the first to know. Plus you know how it's probably going to go over and this way there's not such a scene." Melody replied.

John thought for a minute and then nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Ok, when we get all of our parents from the airport we'll take them to our room and tell them."

Melody smiled, "Thanks. I just think it'll be a little better this way."

Then they walked into the jewelry store and told the jeweler what they were looking for. They quickly pulled out the best of the best they had to offer.

John and Melody looked through the collection. She had her finger sized and thankfully she fit the standard size so the store would be able to supply her with the ring that day.

"Do you see the one you like?" John asked her, but she wasn't looking towards him so she had no idea he was talking to her. He smiled and tapped her on the shoulder, and then signed as he spoke, "_Do you see the one you like?_"

"They're all so beautiful." She replied. "There's a couple that I like. What about you?"

John showed her the ring he liked.

"How about I choose three, and then I'll cover my eyes. You can surprise me with the one you like." Melody offered.

John smiled, "_I like that idea_."

Melody selected the three she liked best and then turned around and closed her eyes.

John looked at them all a couple times. Then he smiled as he chose. One ring stood out from the rest. It was a beautiful, thick, platinum band with diamond accents leading up the sides to the two-carat cushion diamond. Then the wedding band was made up of diamonds and sapphires. Which just so happened to be her birthstone.

"Can you engrave on the inside of the band today?" John asked.

"It will cost extra if you need it today, but yes we can." The jeweler advised.

"That's fine. I need it to say "Once in a lifetime… J.C. + M.S." and that's all." John replied.

"I hope you didn't want it to be a surprise, she probably heard you." The jeweler quipped as he wrote down what John wanted it to say. "It'll be 20 minutes."

"No she didn't, she's deaf." John said as he touched Melody's shoulder. "We've got 20 minutes."

Melody paid for John's ring and put the box in her purse. Then they began to sign back and forth on how the day would progress. They didn't need everyone knowing their business.

Finally the engraver emerged with the ring. John went and paid for them and then the lovebirds walked outside.

John and Melody walked back towards the airport when John stopped and dropped to one knee. "I know I've said this already, but this makes it official. Once in a lifetime a love comes along that brings your world to a halt and makes you stop and appreciate the things you normally take for granted. I love the man you make me and I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Melody, will you marry me?"

And he pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it.

Melody gasped and smiled, it was her favorite ring out of the three. This was so unbelievable and seeing the ring with the proposal made it all the more real. With tears in her eyes she said yes.

John took it out of the box and showed her the inscription. She cried a little more, it was so sweet. He slid it on her finger and kissed her sweetly.

Melody looked at her hand and kissed him again. "I love you John."

"I love you too Melody."

They held hands and quickly headed to the airport. They finally spotted Jimmy, Randy and Sophie and Melody waved for their attention.

Jimmy nodded his head towards her and headed that way.

"How was your flight?" John asked Jimmy as he shook his hand.

"It was a flight to Vegas on a Friday. How was yours?"

Melody smiled, "It was really great. Now we have to head to the other side and grab John's family."

Randy nudged John, "Are you ready for Vegas?"

"Oh yeah. Most definitely."

Sophie grabbed Melody's arm, "How was your birthday surprise?"

Melody smiled, "It was amazing. I felt like it was all a dream."

So the five of them made their way and found the massive group that was John's family. There were lots of hugs and handshakes and birthday wishes, but Melody just smiled, nodded and said thank you. There was far too much commotion for her to try and catch anything as to what was being said.

John had been quick enough that John's grandma was able to catch the same flight as the rest of the family and Melody hadn't met her before.

Catherine walked over to Melody, "So you're the famous Melody. The one Johnny is so head over heels for."

Melody smiled and looked towards John for interpretation. He was caught up talking to his brother and sister and seeing his new baby niece. So she grabbed Jimmy and he interpreted.

Melody smiled and nodded, "Yes, thank you. It's nice to meet you too. I've heard so many great things about you."

"Oh that's right…you're the deaf girl. I was wondering what that guy was doing." Catherine replied.

"This is my dad Jimmy. Dad, this is John's grandma Catherine." She said as she introduced them.

They got on a shuttle and headed to the hotel. Once they arrived there, John and Melody led the group up to the desk and made sure everyone got room keys. Then they asked everyone to meet in the lobby at 4pm for dinner.

Everyone began to go their separate ways, but John grabbed his parents and Melody grabbed Jimmy and they headed to their room.

"What are we doing Johnny?" His dad asked.

"We just wanted a few minutes with you guys without the group. That's all." John replied holding Melody's left hand. They were doing everything they could to keep her hand hidden behind her sweater or her purse.

They got to their room and walked in. John cleared his throat, "I know that things have been a little crazy lately, but I really appreciate you guys coming together like this for Melody's birthday and to come out and see what she does for a living."

John's parents nodded. Jimmy listened intently.

"And we just thought that you guys should be the first to know that I proposed to Melody on the flight here. And she said yes. The wedding is tomorrow morning so all of our families and close friends can be there. "

Suddenly all three parents were instantly buzzing. Not necessarily happily, but were asking questions left and right. Melody couldn't keep track of anything so she looked over at her dad.

He shot her a stern look and began to sign, "_Are you out of your mind? Why are you getting married now? You haven't been together that long and you've never even lived together_."

"_Dad, I love him. I know it seems sudden, but you can't help it…when you know you just know. Please trust me on this_." She signed back.

John was busy trying to curb off his parents warnings when he spotted Melody and Jimmy going at it using sign language.

"So you're getting married to her? John, I just think it's too much too soon. Are you sure this is what you really want?" His mom hissed to him. She was trying to be quiet about it.

His dad jumped in, "Son, I know you're in love. But marriage is marriage. If things get rough, you can't just walk away."

He glanced over at Melody again who was still furiously signing back and forth with Jim. John held up his hands, "Enough! Bottom line, we're getting married tomorrow. If you want to be there, then please do so. If you choose not to, then it's your loss."

"_Can't you just be happy for me?" _Melody signed to Jim_. "I know we're just getting through a rough patch, but you know as well as I do that you don't have to date for a long time to have a successful marriage. Meat and Leslie dated for twenty-one days and then got married. He became a step-dad to Pearl and they had Amanda."_

Jim shook his head and threw his hands up in the air, "_I'm the last person to try and give you dating or marriage advice. All I'm saying is think before you do. But I will support you in your decision. I can't say I'll be happy, but I'll always stand by you_."

She smiled and went over to him and held him close. "I love you dad. Thank you." She verbally said as she squeezed him tight.

First he hugged her back, then he began to push her off, "Ok, you're invading my bubble." Jimmy replied with a laugh. Then he turned his attention to John, "But you and I will talk later."

John smiled and nodded, "Yes sir."

His mom pulled him close, "I think you're making a huge mistake, but it's your life."

His dad looked at him, "Sign a pre-nup. You're going to need it."

"Dad, really? Isn't that a bit tacky?" John said as he shook his head.

"No, it's reality. If your marriage doesn't work, do you really want to give her half of everything you've worked so hard for?" His dad said intensely.

"And you've made sure that she can have healthy kids right?" His mom asked.

"We will have all of that looked into when that time comes. Right now, we're focusing on our wedding, her surgery next Wednesday for her cochlear implant and getting her moved down to Florida. The kids discussion will come later." John replied.

Jimmy looked at Melody and signed, "_Oh God, you're thinking about turning me into a Grandpa too?_"

She grinned and nodded and signed in reply, "_Yes. That's another story though_."

John's mom looked at John and whispered, "I don't like when they sign. That's like people speaking another language and telling secrets."

John rolled his eyes, "Seriously mom, he said "Oh my God you're thinking of turning me into a Grandpa too?" And she said "Yes but that's another story." Some deaf people have never learned to speak so signing is all they have."

"Alright, well we have to get over to Meat's room and figure out the game plan for tonight, so if you'll excuse us, we'll see you at 4pm for dinner." Jimmy said nudging Melody.

"We'll give you guys some time. See you at 4pm, and congratulations." His parents said as they were walking out.

Jimmy, John and Melody left to go to Meat's room. They were cutting it close for time.

Meat opened the door and ushered them in. Inside were Patti, Pearl, Amanda and Debbie.

Melody made her way through the hugs, kisses and birthday wishes. John got hugs and handshakes.

"So, just in case you guys were making plans, you can't leave until tomorrow afternoon." Melody said loudly.

"Why?" Pearl asked.

"Because John and I are getting married tomorrow morning and you're all invited." She said with a big smile and she held up her hand.

Lots of shrieks and "Whats?" quickly followed. Meat looked at her, "You know I'm going to lecture you, but I'm happy for you honey, congratulations."

Finally Meat clapped his hands together, "Well, Patti's voice is still not 100% better. John, can you handle your fiancée singing lead tonight?"

Melody looked at John nervously, this is what sparked the fight last time. But he smiled, "I would be honored to see her sing lead tonight."

Everyone cheered. John shook Meat's hand and hugged Melody. Meat looked across the room and winked at Jimmy.

Jimmy walked over to Patti, "Liar."

Patti grinned, "It's her 30th birthday and her last concert before her surgery. Let her go out with a bang."

Jimmy grinned and nodded, "Oh it'll be a bang alright. Meat's got a few tricks up his sleeve."

Melody was busy talking to Pearl and Amanda about being bridesmaids. Then she went over and hugged Patti.

"So you really want to marry a big ol' Italian boy, huh?" Patti teased.

"Yes I do." Melody said with a smile. "But I feel bad you can't sing tonight. This is Vegas, it's your crowd."

"Babe, it's ok. I'm happy it's your birthday and you can celebrate like this. Trust me, you'll be great." Patti replied with a hug.

A knock at the door and Karla and Robbie walked in. Melody quickly introduced them to John as her surrogate parents and told them about the wedding also.

John's phone went off and it was a text from Randy saying he just picked up Malika from the airport.

John text back "Thank you and they'll see them at 4pm for dinner."

Finally 4pm rolled around and everyone got into a shuttle to go to a very nice restaurant that John had basically rented out for their dinner. Everyone was mingling and getting to know each other very nicely.

Melody stood up on a chair and waved her arms, "Excuse me!" She called out loudly. She began to sign as she spoke so Malika would feel included.

"_I just wanted to say thank you SO much for coming out for my 30__th__ birthday today. It really means a lot to me. To the Cena family, "I love seeing you guys again and meeting some of you for the first time. I'm so excited to get to know you better. And to my Dad, I know it's been a crazy 30 years, but I'm really happy to call you Dad. To my extended family, you know who you are, thank you for always being there for me whenever I needed it. To my friends, Thank you for being here tonight and in my life_."

She cleared her throat, "_It means a lot to me that you guys would drop everything and fly out here. And with Patti still not fully better, I'll be celebrating turning thirty by making out with Meat tonight onstage._"

Everyone laughed and clapped. Then she pulled John up with her. "_And to say thank you, we have a surprise for you guys"_. She held up her ring finger, "_John proposed to me on the flight here, and we're getting married tomorrow morning and you're all invited!_"

The room erupted with hoots, and hollars and clapping and congratulations. The drinks were flowing, everyone was eating and having a great time.

As they dined, they were able to float around and spend a little time with everyone. Melody figured out that in between sound check and the show starting would give her enough time to go a fancy bridal shop and pick out her dress and veil and everything else she would need.

John would also use that time to take the guys tux shopping.

John was having his four brothers, cousin Marc and Randy as his groomsmen. So Melody had Pearl, Amanda, Malika, Sophie, Patti and Karla. Meat's wife Debbie would watch Pearl's son during the ceremony.

Jimmy would be walking Melody down the aisle.

With the wedding plans in tact, now all they had to do was get through the sound check and the concert.

**Whew! What do you guys think? Please read and review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thanks again to all of the readers and reviewers!**

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. John headed off to have some guy time with Randy and his brothers. John's sister-in-laws took Sophie under their wing and headed off to have girl time. And everyone associated with the show was headed to sound check.

Once soundcheck was over, Melody got her girls together and it was time for dress shopping. Melody text John and they decided that their wedding colors were going to be red and black.

Melody wanted the bridesmaids to wear a dress that fitted their tastes, so she let them all decide on whichever dress they liked as long as it was red.

Which left her to finding a wedding dress. She gathered a few together, and began to try them on. The ones that she liked she set aside to try on for the girls.

She walked out of the dressing room and spotted a dress out of the corner of her eye. It was a beautiful, off the shoulder dress. The bodice in the front had sequins, pearls and rhinestones and the back was a lace-up corset. Then the rest of the dress flowed out and along the bottom was the same pattern from the corset. And the train was a smaller train, but still very exquisite.

Melody asked one of the sales people if she could try that one on. She walked along the way and found the veil she liked and some pretty shoes.

Just as she was getting back to the dressing room, the girls were coming towards her with the dresses they had found. Melody smiled, "Yay! I'm so glad you guys found ones that you liked!"

"What about you? Have you found anything yet?" Patti asked.

"I have 4 in the dressing room, but I think I just found the one. I'm going to try it on now." Melody replied excitedly. "I saw it, and I just knew." And she bounced off into the dressing room.

When she walked out, all of the girls gasped. It was absolutely stunning on her. "Melody, that's it." Patti was the first one to say.

Everyone nodded in agreement and began to chatter away at the same time. Melody couldn't catch it all, but she didn't care. She was lost in her own thoughts. She gazed into the mirror and let her imagination run wild.

Finally Patti got up and tapped her on the shoulder, "_Hey! What do you think?"_ She signed.

"I want this one." She said with a smile.

Everyone cheered and the sales people brought them all a glass of champagne to celebrate. Melody paid for everyone's dresses and shoes and jewelry along with hers and they had everything couriered to their room they had reserved for getting dressed in.

Melody looked at her watch. "I don't have much time for picking out flowers, but we need to and fast."

"Not a problem, I'm great with flowers." Sophie replied.

They all hurried to the nearest florist and put together beautiful bouquets and corsages. They were simple yet elegant.

Amanda smiled as they walked out of the florist. "Well, we have dresses, shoes, flowers, rings, the guys are getting the tuxes…are we missing anything?"

Karla smiled, "We need a garter for the bride. And a bachelorette party tonight!"

Pearl squealed, "Oooh…my first outing since having my baby…looks like Debbie will get baby duty again!"

"I don't drink much you guys." Melody said nervously. "And I don't want to be hungover tomorrow."

"Don't worry, we'll keep it contained." Sophie chimed in.

"Besides, you can't let the guys have all the fun." Amanda replied.

So off to the arena they went. They knew it was going to be a good night tonight!

Patti was doing Melody's hair for the show when there was a knock at her dressing room door. Patti tapped Melody's shoulder and nodded towards the door.

"It's open!" She called.

Jimmy walked in, "Patti can we have a few minutes?" He said a bit quietly.

Patti nodded and excused herself.

Jimmy walked up and sat down in a chair by Melody. "Hey birthday girl."

She smiled, "Hi dad. What's up?"

"Look, I know today has gotten hectic and crazy. But I don't want you to think that I am just letting this day go. It's your 30th birthday and I know that technically you're an adult at 18 and at 21 is another thing. But 30 is special and to me, you're finally a grown up. You're about to begin a life that isn't just about you anymore. You're getting married, possibly starting a family of your own. Who knows what you're going to do career wise anymore, your cochlear implant is on Wednesday, and you're going to be moving to Florida…This is really big. I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll always be here for you. I may be a hard-ass and kind of a prick from time to time, but that's just me. You're a beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman…and he's damn lucky to have you in his life. Just as I am. I love you." Jimmy said sincerely.

Melody's eyes welled with tears and she hugged him, "I love you too dad."

"Your birthday present has been deposited into your bank account already. And I have something special I'm doing for your wedding present…I'm sending you guys on your honeymoon…whenever you're able to have it. I know that between your recovery and his work schedule it's a bit crazy, but you tell me when and where and I'll make sure you guys have the best of the best. Congratulations hon. Now break a leg out there."

Melody smiled, "You don't have to do that dad. But thank you."

He nodded and walked out telling Patti she could go back in.

Not long after, there was a tap at the door and Meat came bursting in. "Hey Melody. Can you sign your part of "Anything for Love?"

She looked confused, "Yeah…why?"

"I was thinking. To mix things up a bit, just for that song, why don't you wear the hands-free mic and sign while you sing? Then I'll sign and sing my responses to you. As something special for you since tonight's your last night with us." Meat replied.

Melody smiled, "I think that would be great, thank you."

Meat nodded and walked out. He had all sorts of things up his sleeve.

Soon Patti left and John was walking in. "Finally, a few minutes alone with my fiancée." He said with a smile.

She got up and gave him a hug and a kiss. "Hey babe. Did you find tuxes?"

"Yup, sure did. The guys want to go out tonight, would you mind?" He asked.

"No, the girls want to go out too." She replied. "So I don't mind. Just, don't be hungover for tomorrow. That's all I ask."

"No problem. My dad's going to go out with us too, and I'm going to invite Meat and Jimmy too." John said squeezing her close.

Melody smiled, "That's really nice. I'll be asking your mom and your sister-in-laws to join us also."

John kissed her again, "Very nice…So, for our wedding night, I was thinking we stay here and then you could go to Raw with me on Monday and then I'll fly to New York with you on Tuesday and stay with you through your surgery and then I'll have to fly out on Friday and I'll come back to New York on Tuesday. Will you have your dad and Patti available?"

"I won't have Patti, and I don't know about Dad. I think he's working on a project. But I'll find out. Even so, by Friday I should be better."

John shook his head, "Yeah but I don't want you alone that soon after. I've been reading about the recovery and the possible side effects."

"You read too much." She said with a laugh.

"And you talk too much." John said playfully as he pulled her in for another kiss.

As they were kissing Pearl walked in, "Girl you had better get your outfit on, show starts in 5 minutes."

John tapped Melody on the shoulder and pointed. Melody looked up and blushed, "Hi Pearl!"

Pearl laughed, "Girl you had better get your outfit on, show starts in 5 minutes."

"Ok, thanks!" Melody replied jumping up and pulling her robe off. She quickly slipped into a little black bra top with black pants covered in fringe. She was insta-rocker chick.

"Love you babe. See ya out there!" John replied kissing her on the cheek and hurrying off to the wings of the stage.

As the show went on, Meat made sure Melody had a wonderful birthday. They brought her out a big cake and had the audience sing her happy birthday. Meat had Melody sing "We Are Not Alone" as a solo. That was Karla DeVito's big hit from The Breakfast Club movie. And he had her sing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" with Jimmy on piano. (Since he was the songwriter) Then during the finale, after "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" he introduced her as Melody Cuollet soon to be Melody Cena since she got engaged tonight.

The crowd cheered and Melody blushed feverishly.

After the show was over, John brought his family and all of their friends backstage. They all congratulated Melody and everyone on a great show. Even John's grandma enjoyed it! Malika was busy signing away to Melody about the show.

Meat pulled John aside. "So you think you have what it takes to marry her huh?"

John smiled and nodded, "Yes I do."

"So you're going to treat her right and be patient and love her and never cheat on her or put her through hell, right?"

John nodded, "Yes sir."

"Good, because I'm afraid that if you don't, I'm gonna be on ya, and you don't want to see me mad." Meat replied sternly.

John chuckled and shook Meat's hand, "I've got it. I'm not going to do anything to hurt her. And Jimmy already warned me, but his description was a bit gorier."

"Good. Now let's go party!" Meat said putting his arm around John.

The lovebirds kissed goodbye and the guys took John and the girls took Melody. They both spent the night hours in various shows and casinos and laughing and having a great time!

That night when Melody finally went to bed, she realized that when she woke up….she'd be getting ready to become Mrs. John Cena.

**Please read and review! The wedding is next! ***


	29. Chapter 29

**THANK YOU for reading and reviewing and liking!**

Melody woke up to kisses on her neck. She smiled and snuggled into them, but then realized that she wasn't dreaming. She quickly turned and looked at John, "_What are you doing here? It's our wedding day? You can't see me._"

John turned on the lamp as he was laughing, "Don't use my line….that's my catch phrase."

Melody looked confused, "What? You want me to catch your what?"

John shook his hands and signed, "_Nevermind. I just needed to see you. I wanted to come and tell you that I love you and I can't wait to be married to you._"

Melody smiled, "Aww…that's really sweet. But you're breaking the rules."

"_I know of something else that we could do to break the rules. It would be the last time that we fool around not married. Next time, I'll be making love to Mrs. Melody Cena_." He signed as he leaned in and began kissing her passionately.

Melody returned the kisses hungrily. They had already broken the "No seeing the bride before the wedding" rule…what more harm could they do?

Shortly after they finished, they snuggled into each other and fell back asleep. Melody woke up to John startling awake and jumping out of bed.

Patti and Sophie were in the room playfully shrieking, "You can't see the bride before the wedding! Out! Get out! What are you thinking?"

Sophie looked at John with a playful wink, "Both you and Randy always only have one thing on your mind don't you?"

John laughed, "Maybe…"

Melody burst into laughter. She couldn't hear a word of what was being said, but it sure was hilarious watching it all happen.

She took the opportunity to sneak into the shower while everyone was distracted. After her shower, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and wrapped her hair in a towel. Then Melody put her hearing aids in and came out of the bathroom.

The girls had brought up bagels and muffins with coffee. And the photographer was there hiding in the background to get some non-posed shots. "So…is anyone hung over?" Melody asked the girls.

They all shook their heads no. "But I heard your dad and Meat and our guys had a pretty good time." Sophie said with a laugh.

"Really?"

Sophie nodded, "Yup, apparently the Cena boys like to have a good time when they're out and about. Randy was saying that your Dad and Meat were a blast."

Amanda laughed, "Yeah…Dad and Jimmy have a love hate relationship and when they're getting along and a trip out is involved, look out ."

Everyone laughed and began to eat breakfast.

The hair stylist came in and began to work on the bridesmaids' hair as Patti began to work on Melody's. She slipped Melody's hearing aids out and began to brush through her hair.

"_So, are you really ready for this? You do know that your whole life is going to change, right?_" Patti signed to her.

"_Yes I am. I love John and I know he loves me. And between the cochlear and marriage and everything else life may throw my way, it feels right_." Melody signed back. Sometimes it was really nice being able to sign because then not everyone had to know what she was saying.

Melody closed her eyes and let Patti work her magic. She let herself relax and sometimes the silence was soothing. That would be something she'd never have again after the cochlear implant…the presence of total silence. Now if her mind was overloaded she could take her hearing aids out and take a few deep breaths and she could shut out everything going on around her. Now she wouldn't be able to do that. Was she ready for that?

When Patti was standing in front of her, Melody tapped her, "_Do you think that I'm crazy for getting a cochlear implant?_"

Patti looked surprised, "_If you know that you're doing it for the right reasons and you're truly doing it for what you want, then no. But don't do it for anybody other than you. What are your reasons?_"

"_I miss being able to use a telephone, I'm afraid of not hearing a baby crying, I miss being able to hear music in a normal way, I hate feeling so left out in a busy conversation. But, on the flip side of that, I'm going to miss being able to take my hearing aids out and just have silence. Not counting since being with John, I've spent the last two years being primarily deaf and slightly hearing second that it really made me appreciate it. Now I'll never be that again…and if the surgery doesn't turn out right, I'll be completely deaf in one ear and very slightly hearing in the other which means I would basically be completely deaf, and I don't know how John and Dad could handle that_." Melody confessed.

Patti set the curling iron down and squeezed her hand, "_This is something you need to figure out for yourself. You have some very valid concerns. And you're getting married today, so you kind of have extra nervousness. Talk to John about your concerns. You can Skype and use the TTY or TTD machines for phone calls, you're able to text. Even with a cochlear you might still feel left out in a busy conversation going on in a crowded, noisy room. And deaf people have babies all the time and they do just fine. I think you just have a bit of cold feet about everything right now_."

Melody nodded her head and sat back so Patti could finish. As soon as Patti was done, the make-up artist came in and began to do her make-up. Melody sat there in silence watching everyone else laughing and getting ready and talking up a storm about this that and the other thing. She looked down at her engagement ring and sighed.

After her make-up was done, Melody slipped her hearing aids back in. She walked into the other room and smiled. The girls all had their bridesmaid dresses on, everyone's hair and make-up were done and they looked great. "Wow, you guys look beautiful!" She gushed.

Laughter broke out. "Come on Mrs. Cena, get your dress on." Pearl teased.

Karla took Melody and helped her into her wedding dress. "Melody, you look amazing. You've done so great for yourself and I'm so glad that you and your Dad are so close now."

Melody smiled, "Thanks Karla. I appreciate everything you've done for me. And Dad and I still have our moments, but yeah, we've come a long ways."

Karla laced up her corset and Melody walked out. Everyone gasped and clapped and flashes were flashing galore.

"Alright, let's get to the chapel for pictures." Patti said happily. They all walked out of the room and headed towards the chapel.

**MEANWHILE…**.

"Bro, I am really proud of you." John's brother Dan said to him.

John smiled and nodded his head, "Thanks, that means a lot. I know mom and dad aren't too happy about it, but I have to follow my heart on this one."

"Melody seems like a great girl. And yes she's deaf, but hey, that can be a blessing sometimes too." Dan teased.

The guys were all giving John tips and pointers about being married and about Melody's deafness. Randy stepped up and pulled him aside. "Now I know that I'm not related to you by blood, but you've been in my corner through a lot of shit and I want you to know that I'll always do the same for you. Marriage isn't always sunshine and happiness, but it sure does give life a whole new meaning."

John smiled and gave Randy a man-hug. "Thanks dude, I appreciate it."

Finally John's Dad walked towards him with John's tie in his hand. "Come here son."

John stood up and John's dad began to put on his tie, "Today, you are marrying the woman you love. Now your relationship hasn't always been the easiest, nor will it ever be. But you need to remember that the words "Till death do you part" mean exactly that. And with you choosing to be with someone who has a handicap, people are going to look at you different, ask you questions, you're going to be faced with the what ifs all the time…but your love for her is your answer. Marrying her today says that you will love her whether she can hear, or whether she can't. And she will love you no matter what. Are you ready to face that?"

John nodded. He hated it when people called Melody's deafness a handicap, because it didn't hold her back. But he knew what his dad meant. "Dad, I know that Melody being deaf drives you and Mom crazy. Even Grandma said to me last night it was too bad she had to be deaf because she sure is pretty. I accept her for who she is and I hope someday you guys will too. I know that you guys are worried, but trust me on this one. She's a great woman. I know her background isn't conventional, and I have a lot of things that I know about her background and her family that drive me crazy but I swallow them because I love her. Melody and I are going to have a family together. But we might not just have kids of our own. Melody would love to adopt a child who is deaf and I fully support her in that."

John's dad took a deep breath, "Son…do you know what you would be getting yourself into?"

He nodded, "Yeah Dad…I do. The same thing that if Melody and I had a child of our own who just so happened to have their own unique disability. They could have Downs, or cancer or anything else. There is no guarantee. And I would love that child as if it were my own flesh and blood."

John's Dad couldn't help but smile…"Son, you make me proud."

They hugged tight and slapped each other on the back. "Now let's go get you a wife." His dad said happily.

**At the Chapel…**

Everyone was arriving at the chapel and getting seated. The wedding party was busy doing last minute adjustments and waiting for the signal that it was time.

The photographers were doing their individual portraits first along with the wedding party pictures. Then they would do pictures together after the ceremony.

So after Melody and John had fun getting their pictures taken with their families and the bridesmaids and the groomsmen, the knocks finally came that it was time. John and his parents walked down the aisle and waited for Melody to arrive.

Jimmy took a deep breath and opened Melody's door. "It's time." He said.

Melody nodded and stood up. "Are you ready to give me away?"

Jim smiled with tears in his eyes, "I think you gave you away too many times as it is. Let's just say I'm borrowing you out this time."

Melody smiled with tears in her eyes as she hugged Jimmy close. One of the hidden photographers got a very nice shot of the two of them in a tight embrace.

She linked her arm in Jimmy's and they walked to where they needed to be. When the organist began to play "Here Comes the Bride" Jimmy nudged her, "They're playing your song."

Melody smiled at him with tears in her eyes. The doors opened and everyone stood up and looked at her. She smiled and clung to Jimmy's arm like a nervous little girl. She glanced from the groomsmen over to the bridesmaids and then to John. When their eyes met, her nervousness faded. She smiled confidently as they made their way down the aisle.

John took in a deep breath as their eyes met. His heart swelled with pride. There she was. The love of his life, the woman who he was about to marry. Melody looked so beautiful.

John's parents smiled as she walked past them. Meat had tears in his eyes, Melody looked so beautiful.

Jimmy answered as the man who was giving her away and that's when Melody snapped back to reality. She stepped up and took her place beside John.

There was an interpreter standing to the side of the Father so Melody and Malika could follow along. The acoustics in the Chapel made it very difficult for Melody to hear.

As the Father spoke, Melody looked into John's eyes. They were both smiling from ear to ear. Then it came time for the vows. As John was about to repeat the sacred words, he smiled, "I've been practicing for this." Then he lifted his hands from Melody's and signed as he spoke.

Melody smiled even wider and her eyes filled up with tears again. Her voice trembled as she spoke, but her hands were steady.

They slid the rings on and the Father announced them as husband and wife. "You may now kiss the bride." The Father said with a smile.

"Wait, not yet." John said with a smile.

Randy handed John a glass and a handkerchief. John placed the glass on the ground and covered it up, "This one's for your Jimmy." He said with a laugh.

He stomped on it and everyone yelled out "Mazel Tov!"

Melody burst into laughter and John held her and they shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Everyone clapped and cheered as they walked down the aisle together and to the back of the chapel. There they took their official wedding pictures and took pictures with their families and friends. They all went to the banquet room at the hotel where they had a catered, sit-down meal. And then everyone began to head to the airport as they needed.

Eventually it was just John and Melody left. They went back to their hotel room where they made love for the first time as husband and wife.

**YAY! They made it through the wedding…but now real life comes into play. Will everything be as smooth sailing as they have made it out to be? Will Melody confess her fears about the surgery to John? Will John have as much time to dedicate to taking care of her after the surgery as he thinks or will work pull him away? So many things…..PLEASE read and review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've updated this story, but I really wanted to think about it and see where to take it. I think I have a good handle on it now, so please read and review and tell me what you think. This first chapter is bringing everyone up to speed. The next will be the test and that way I know if it's a good angle or not. Thanks! PS: I didn't want to get too technical, so I've left out some of the details of what all goes on with activation and training. If you guys want the nitty, gritty details, please let me know. Thanks!**

**Six Weeks Later…**

So far being married wasn't much more than seeing each other one to two days a week for John and Melody. Vince had John pretty well booked on different appearances and promotions, not to mention tv tapings and house shows. John felt horrible. He wasn't there when Melody really needed him. John had been by her side for the surgery, and for her to make the big decision to have a double cochlear implant surgery. She had decided to go all or nothing. Her and John hashed it out, and decided to go for it. Plus the doctor was fairly confident that her outcome would be successful. And the surgery wasn't so bad, but the recovery had been pretty hard on her. Melody was horribly dizzy and nauseated and had a lot of headaches. Her taste had been affected so nothing tasted right for three weeks. Finally most of that subsided but she waited to move to John's house until she had undergone the activation of her implant. She had made the arrangements for the follow-up auditory therapy to be done down in Florida, but for the majority of her care, she stayed in New York.

Staying in New York for her recovery had been difficult also. Due to the surgery, she was now completely deaf for the first time in her life. She had no hearing whatsoever, with or without hearing aids. And if the implants failed and didn't work, then she would be completely deaf for the rest of her life. Melody knew that she would be ok, it would just take some adapting. And for now, she was putting music on the backburner. It was time to focus on other things.

However, having Melody around while she was completely deaf was VERY difficult for Jimmy and John (when he had time to be there). There was no hearing them at all for her. Everything was sign language and closed captioning and the TTD machine. Melody was ok because she was used to not always putting in her hearing aids but no one else was used to it.

But now, Melody was packing up the last of her belongings and making all of the necessary arrangements for her move. She was nervous, she had never lived with a significant other before. Now she was married and about to be moving in with him. What if he didn't like living with her? Jimmy told her that she was just being silly, but he understood her nervousness.

John was going to be flying into New York, and would be right on time for the activation of her implant and for some of the training. Today was a very big day for Melody and he wasn't going to miss it. John had taken the rest of the week and weekend off so he could get Melody moved down to his house and get her settled. He had a surprise for her; he had hired someone to go through the house and install of the necessary equipment for Melody. All of the doorbell flashers, the telephone flashers, flashing timers in the kitchen, the bed alarms, the whole nine yards.

There was a real possibility that the implants could fail. It was a small possibility, but one he wanted to be prepared for. Since he had to be on the road so much, he continued to work with the ASL instructor he had hired to help him work on his signing. And by now he was getting quite good, plus she was still able to read lips.

Melody had a great support system. While she was recovering a lot of her friends came around to visit her. Then the one to two days she had with John they made sure to dedicate their time to each other. He did everything he could to help her out, and was so thankful once she finally started to feel back to herself again.

When John's plane landed, he hurried through the airport. He was so excited to get to Jimmy's to see his wife and bring her to her big appointment.

John walked through the front door and Jimmy looked up from the couch and smiled. "Glad to see you made it! Melody is nervous as hell and driving me nuts."

John laughed. "Good to see nothing's changed." And he headed upstairs.

Melody was walking out of her bedroom door and walked right into John. She squealed and hugged him. "Oh my God I'm so glad you're here! I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

John kissed her sweetly and held her. "_Don't you worry, I'm right here. And we have about twenty minutes before we have to leave to go to your appointment. Have you eaten breakfast yet?"_ He signed as he spoke.

She shook her head no, "I've been too nervous to eat."

"_Well, let's eat some toast and fruit_." John replied. "_That way you at least have something in your stomach_."

So they headed downstairs and talked about how John's weekend and Raw taping went. Then they bid Jim a farewell and got in the cab to head off to her appointment.

Upon arrival, Melody was instantly nervous again. They had been testing the implant and making sure they had it properly programmed for her, but she was still nervous. As she sat next to John waiting for name to be called, she bounced her leg up and down. John looked over at her and smiled, "_Relax. Everything will be ok_."

She smiled and nodded. "Easier said than done." She thought to herself.

When the nurse came out to get her, she kissed John and the two headed back. They talked to the audiologist first, and then was brought into the room. They hooked up the external processor and officially activated it.

Melody ducked her head and covered her ears, the first sound she heard was a very loud, piercing screech that made her a bit dizzy. Then she got tears in her eyes. She looked up at the nurse, "Oh my God I heard that."

John's eyes even filled with tears, it was a very emotional sight. "Can you hear me?" He asked her.

She turned her head to John and smiled, "Yes. But you kind of sound like Donald Duck." Then she gasped, "Oh my God, I sound like Donald Duck!"

They all laughed. The nurse reassured her that with the auditory therapy training, she would learn how to focus in on sounds so she could "hear" them. The next hour was spent with the team going over how to operate the implant and how to disconnect it for showers, swimming, bathing, etc. Then they advised her that until she began the training, just to practice. Practice focusing on sounds, practice hearing with television programs. Make sure people still signed while they spoke, but try to focus on hearing. She was told to speak a lot so she could learn to hear herself.

When they left the office, Melody was shocked! She could hear music playing in the taxi, but not clearly. John said it was on really low. As they got out of the cab and walked into Jimmy's house, she had to keep asking John what she was hearing because there were so many sounds at once it sounded loud.

Already, although voices were not yet clear, Melody could, with the aid of lipreading, understand the voices of her husband, the audiologist, and anyone else who spoke directly to her. In fact, when she walked inside and called out for Jimmy, she stopped and asked him what time it was. She understood her dad perfectly and he didn't look directly at her! What a difference from before the implant, when she would have not been able to do that alone, or she would have had to bluff and pretend that she understood when she didn't. Melody was totally floored and kept thinking, "I don't remember it ever being like this!" She broke down crying, "Oh my God, I'm hearing again!"

The three of them took turns hugging and crying from excitement. It was completely overwhelming, exciting and amazing all at the same time. For Melody, it was really weird to have voices and background noises be SO loud. She told John she wanted to go sightseeing one last time before they moved, so they hit the streets. Melody decided to test her hearing and stopped and asked hearing people for directions three times on the noisy street they walked on - and understood each time despite the noise! At an IMAX theatre, the music was "just beautiful." Walking to lunch at a restaurant, Melody heard birds chirping. In the restaurant she heard silverware tinkling, herself and other people nearby eating and drinking, people talking in nearby booths, and even people coming through doors. The ultimate experience was hearing the sound the paper made when peeling it off a butter pat. The sound was so startling that her reaction made John and Jimmy roll with laughter. It was a really great afternoon.

By the end of the day, Melody noticed that she could hear the phone dial tone, the clacking of keys on her cell phone when she was sending texts (so loud that she decided she would not use it in public anymore), and observed that brushing teeth, water dripping, and using the toilet all made noise. She hadn't been able to detect a lot of the little things with her hearing aids, and had gone on for so long without hearing it, that she didn't really give it much thought. Now the little things were startling!

That night, she had an experiment of her own she wanted to try. John and her made love. Hearing John moan and whisper things to her was completely amazing. That night, when they were done, and they were falling asleep, she couldn't help but think to herself that she was re-falling in love with him all over again.

**Day Two**

John and Melody spent the whole morning at the audiologist's office. Day two of activation brought more programming, and Melody was given the Body Worn Processor (BWP) and lots of accessories. This time the testing and programming was done with the BWP instead of the processor she had used on the first day. The BWP is a small pager style box worn on the hip with a wire going up under a shirt and under the hair to the headpiece. It comes inside a nice case and clips to your belt and is very similar to a music player. The BWP had a sensitivity dial for drowning out background noise so voices can be focused on.

Melody found that if she provided more input and described sounds as much as possible, the programming/mapping got better each time. Her goal was to eliminate the echo sounds from voices. To Melody, the echoing noises sounded like she was being hunted by masked Jason in Friday the 13th movies.

This time John was much more interactive and was asking a lot of questions. He asked the audiologist why there were so many issues with human voices versus the outside world. The audiologist explained that human voices are very complicated because they're never the same. Everyone has accents, and different pitches and the environment is pretty simple. Which is why Melody would have to undergo mapping sessions for her implant in 30 days, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and then every year following.

At the end, they gave Melody an audiogram just to see where she was at. They were very impressed with her results. She was almost in normal hearing range already, and it was only her second day! Now that the initial activation and mapping were complete, they sent her home with everything she needed to continue her care down in Florida. Together John and Melody thanked everyone profusely. To John, they had given Melody the greatest gift of all. He loved seeing her so happy and so excited.

This time Melody found that even the environmental sounds were clearer and voices were much less distorted and were beginning to take on a normal tone. Melody was a bit disappointed though, she wanted to see what the noise at the airport sounded like, but she was advised that her implant would interact with various electrical equipment there. Now that she was activated, her implant could set off metal detectors, theft alarms and would definitely have to be turned off during take-offs and landings so she decided just to turn it off while she would be there.

Leaving Jimmy was a bit emotional. Melody hugged him tight and thanked him for everything. John also thanked him for taking such good care of Melody while he was gone. Jimmy drove them to the airport and helped to make sure that getting all of her belongings shipped out there was taken care of. John had already gotten most of it sent down there, but there was the last minute stuff.

Finally they were on the plane and in their seats. John looked over at her and signed, "_Well, here we go. The beginning of the rest of our lives_."

Melody smiled and nodded. What she couldn't tell him was that she was scared to death. There was so much to do and get used to, and adding all of that while getting used to being hearing again….there was a lot going on all at the same time. It would be very overwhelming and patience-testing.

**How will things go? What about the little things no one ever thinks about? Like decorating preferences? What side of the bed to sleep on? Going to the bathroom and being nervous the other will hear? Laundry? Not to mention John's lifestyle…Lots of factors! Please read and review!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you guys still like this story!**

John was so excited to show Melody around. He took the scenic route home so she could see the area. Melody was tickled that she could hear the sound of the radio playing and the fan blowing the air conditioning. They turned down a side road and then pulled into a driveway. "Welcome home honey." John said happily.

Melody's eyes opened in shock, "This is your house?"

"No, it's our house. We're married now, remember?" John teased.

She got out of the car and couldn't believe her eyes. "Oh my god….this is straight out of MTV Cribs."

John chuckled, "Well, it's been on MTV Cribs before, does that count? Come on, lets go inside. I had my buddy hang out here when your stuff was delivered, so there's a room that has all of your boxes and stuff in it."

John unlocked the front door and then scooped Melody up into his arms.

She shrieked loudly, "What are you doing?"

"Carrying you over the threshold…just like married couples do." John replied with a laugh and he carried her through the doorway.

Once inside, Melody was in utter shock. The place was HUGE. Beautiful woodwork, big, bay windows, vaulted ceilings with ceiling fans. She looked around and then stopped, "John, is that a doorbell flasher?"

John smiled, "It sure is. I wanted to surprise you and I had the whole place outfitted with all of the equipment needed for someone who was deaf to live here. I called the Deaf association of Florida and they hooked me up with a contractor. I figured it wouldn't hurt, just in case the surgery didn't work or we had a child who was deaf."

Melody felt the tears well up in her eyes, it meant the world to her that he would go out of his way to do this. She threw her arms around him and kissed him sweetly. "That is so great John, thank you."

"Now if you don't hook up your cochlear right away in the morning or after a shower, and you're completely deaf you won't have anything bad happen. Let's take the official tour." And John took her by the hand. He led her through the entire house. Melody was in absolute shock. The house had lots of bedrooms and there was an outdoor pool and an exercise room. When they got to the master bedroom, Melody couldn't believe her eyes. It was like a penthouse. And in the master bathroom there was a whirlpool tub along with an awesome shower.

John smiled, "So, do you like it?"

"John, I love it. It's beautiful." Melody replied.

"I'm glad. And you can turn one of the bedrooms into your office. If there's anything you want to remodel or change around, we can work on that. I want this to be our house." John said holding her hand. "Let's go back downstairs."

So they went downstairs. John took her around the outside of the house and they finally settled in the backyard on the patio furniture. "So, there's a few things I wanted to run past you." John began.

"Ok, like what?"

"Well, now that we're married and we're getting you settled in here, I wanted to see what you thought about coming on the road with me. Is that something you'd want to do?" John asked.

Melody shrugged her shoulders, "I don't see why not. I mean, it can't be much different than being on the road with a rock band. Especially if I'm not working."

"Sweet. Also, how do you feel about hanging out with other couples?"

Melody nodded, "Sure, that would be fun! I'd love to get to know some people around here. Is there a good place to do that?"

"Well, I thought maybe we'd have a barbecue, invite some friends over. Then they can meet you and we can set up game nights and potluck nights."

Melody smiled, "That would be great!" She got up and sat down on John's lap. "Let's find some of my stuff…then you can show me how to find the important places and then we could have dinner and spend the rest of the night playing married couple?" She said with a wink.

"I like the sounds of that." John replied eagerly as he sat up and kissed her.

Melody kissed him back, maybe living together for the first time wouldn't be so bad.

After running errands, and going out for a celebratory dinner, they arrived back home. They headed up to the bedroom and started to get ready for bed. Melody grabbed out some of her lingerie and headed into the bathroom. As she sat down to pee, she could hear John rustling around. Then it dawned on her, if she could hear him…could he hear her? She'd never peed in front of a guy before, let alone in a close enough vicinity to where he could hear her. What if she farted? Would John freak out and think she was the grossest woman ever? She was used to her dad and Meat and other band members, but not a boyfriend…let alone a husband! Melody quickly jumped up and turned on the sink as much as possible. Then she quickly peed and washed her hands and brushed her teeth.

John went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He left the door wide open and didn't try to hide at all. Melody felt guilty watching him brush his teeth, so she quickly acted like she was putting things away.

John came out and climbed into bed with her. "Mmm….you look very sexy tonight." He said kissing her.

Melody smiled and kissed him back, "You're pretty sexy yourself."

John kissed her passionately, "So, what do you say we start working on our family?" He said as he began to kiss her neck.

Melody's eyes opened wide. They hadn't talked about starting a family this soon. Her heart began to race. "Well…umm..we sure can practice."

John let it go and began to explore her body. As great as it felt, Melody was too busy panicking to herself about what he had said. Was he seriously ready to start trying for a baby? Now? What about her career? What about all of the therapy she was going to be undergoing with her cochlear? "Damn I need to make some girlfriends down here." She thought to herself.

When they were done, they curled into each other and fell asleep. The next morning, she awoke and there was a note from John saying that he had to run into town, and he'd be back in a bit. Melody stretched out and looked around the room. She was still in awe that this was now her house. She quickly ran into the bathroom and took care of all of her business and took a quick shower.

Melody was getting dressed when she noticed the lights flashing. There was someone at the front door. She hadn't hooked up her cochlear since getting out of the shower so she was very appreciative of the flashers. Melody opened the door and smiled at the woman standing on their doorstep.

"Hi, I'm Annie. My husband and I are good friends of John's. We live just across the way over there. You must be Melody?"

Melody nodded, "I am. It's nice to meet you."

Annie began to talk rather quickly and Melody wasn't catching everything so she held up her hand. "I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but I can't catch everything you're saying. I'm hard of hearing and I don't have my cochlear hooked up yet this morning. Would you like to come in and give me a minute?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Yes, I'd love to come in." Annie replied as she walked in.

Melody excused herself and came back down smiling, "Ok, this should help."

Annie smiled, "Sorry about that. I just get carried away."

"Not a problem. So have you guys known John for long?"

Annie nodded, "We've known him since he moved in. I'm so happy for you guys. We'll definitely have to get together and have dinner and cocktails."

The two girls were gabbing about the neighborhood and Annie was filling Melody in on all of the good gossip before long. John walked in and laughed when he saw Annie sitting there with Melody. "Didn't take you long now did it?" John teased.

"Of course not! How could I resist?" Annie replied happily. "We're already planning dinners and shopping trips so look out."

"I hate to cut this short, but I have to have Melody over to the doctor's office in about a half an hour so we should probably get ready to go." John said. "But why don't you guys come over tonight? About six?"

"Sound great, I'll tell Jack." Annie said as she stood up. She gave Melody a smile, "It was great to meet you. See you tonight! Bye John!" And Annie left.

Melody looked over at John, "Wow, she can talk!"

John laughed, "Yeah, it's getting her to stop that is the problem. But they're great. I've known them forever."

They got ready and headed out to the doctor's office for her first round of therapy. By the time they finished they grabbed a light lunch and hit up the grocery store. They stocked up on a bunch of stuff since Melody would be there all the time, and then picked out stuff to grill for dinner. As they walked around the grocery store, John and Melody talked about different recipes they wanted to try and the fact that minus roommates and family, she had never lived with anyone before. Not anyone significant.

As they were driving home, Melody looked over at John, "So, can I bring up a touchy subject?"

"Of course, what's up?"

"Last night, when we were messing around, you said you wanted to start working on our family. Were you being serious?"

John smiled, "Yeah, I mean, you're down here now. You're therapy will be over soon and we have nothing else going on, so why not start trying. I know you have to make an appointment to have your IUD taken out, so I figure go ahead, make the appointment and we can start working on it. Unless you wanted to adopt first. We could do that too."

Melody was surprised, she always thought guys were more hesitant to start having kids. "Wow. I'm surprised you want to start so soon. I thought maybe we'd be married for a little while first."

"Yeah, I guess. But now that we're married and you're done being on the road with Meat, I figured why not start our family? You can come out on the road in our private tour bus from Thursday through Monday and we'll be home Tuesday through Thursday morning. I can work with Vince to where maybe I can get Thursdays off. It'll be great. We'll have tons of time to be together and then we'll have our kiddos with us. It'll be great." John replied rubbing her knee. "Don't worry babe, I've got it all figured out. Then, if you wanted to start working, I could hire you as my assistant and you can keep my schedule and book the hotels and the airfare and schedule appearances. It'll be great."

Melody sat back stunned. John had this whole thing worked out in his head…but what about her thoughts? Her feelings? She didn't say much, she just pondered to herself what to make of all of it. They pulled into the driveway and not another word was said about it. They only had a little bit of time before Annie and Jack would be arriving, so Melody shoved it all to the back of her mind and focused on helping to make dinner. Now was the time to become an official housewife….Yikes.

**Hmm…sounds like there's a lot of things the newly married couple need to adjust to and work out. Please read and review!**


	32. Chapter 32

**I hope everyone is having a great weekend!**

Dinner with Annie and Jack was definitely interesting. It was Melody's first time having company over since she had her cochlear engaged. The sounds of dinner cooking, the wine cork popping, the laughter, the dishwasher, everything had Melody on sensory overload.

Even just sitting around having a conversation was different. Now she could hear all of the different voices talking at once, and even though it was only three other people, it was still hard to get used to.

By the time Annie and Jack left, Melody was exhausted. She walked downstairs in her pajamas and she had already disconnected her cochlear for the night.

John looked up at her and smiled, "Hey babe, how's it going?"

She smiled, "I have my cochlear disconnected. I need some peace and quiet."

John laughed, "A little too much, too soon?"

Melody nodded. She still couldn't get over how John had pre-planned their life together. Even when Annie and Jack were asking, he told them the same things he had told her. And all she could do was smile and nod because she didn't want to start an argument.

She sat down on the couch and snuggled with him. Right now, she didn't want to think about anything, she just wanted to kick back and relax.

John tapped her and spoke as he signed, "So, I was thinking that tomorrow we could work on getting your stuff unpacked and getting you settled. Then maybe we could go out shopping and find a few new things for the house since it's now our house now. We can go out for a nice dinner and go grocery shopping. Friday I have to leave the house at 10:30 a.m. just to be to the airport on time for my flight. If you change your mind, you could still come with me?"

Melody shook her head, "No thanks. Not this time. I need to get unpacked and settled. I would like to familiarize myself with the area. Take my car and go for a drive. Maybe go out jogging around the neighborhood…all of those things."

John nodded, "Yeah, I figured as much." Then he held her close and kissed her. "So…have you given any thought to what we talked about?"

Melody tried to play dumb, "Like what?"

"Come on, I'm serious. Have you thought about whether you're ready to start trying for a baby or if you would want to adopt first?"

Melody tried not to roll her eyes, "John…I'm not sure I'm ready for either yet. I mean, there's been a lot going on in my life and our lives since we started seeing each other. And, I like it just being us for now. It gives us time to work on our careers, to get used to being married…"

John quickly interjected, "Melody…you have nothing to worry about. You can hear now. You'll totally be able to hear the baby over the monitor now. And as far as us having time to be married, we'll have lots of time."

"John, listen to me. I don't know that I'm ready to walk away from my career totally. I have no problem taking some time, and I don't know that I'll want to completely go back to doing what I was doing. But, I want to be able to have that option."

John shook his head, "Melody, you're totally overthinking this. First off, relax. Starting a family takes awhile. Especially with adoption. And we would have plenty of time to adjust to being married. Especially if you come on the road with me. Trust me on this one. If you need to, you could talk to Sophie and see what she thinks and how she copes and what it's like being a mom when your husband is gone all the time."

Melody looked at him frustrated, "Can I ask you something? Do you have feelings for Sophie? I swear you talk about her all the time, sometimes I feel like you want me to be her."

John looked completely stunned…he didn't know what to say.

Melody got up and faced him, "Well, let me forewarn you…I'm NOT Sophie. I know what it's like to have the only other person in your life be gone all the time. BUT…I'm never going to be Sophie. I don't care if we have similarities; it's not going to happen. I have my very own way of living my life. And I know that we are married, but our life is not going to be just like Randy and Sophie's. I am going through a lot of change right now. I need you to be supportive of that. Rushing into motherhood is not what I want right now. Maybe next week, maybe next month, but not right now. Right now, I'm trying to get acquainted with what the rest of our life is going to be like. How you like your laundry done, what side of the bed you are going to sleep on, what kinds of meals you like, where you keep your toilet paper and adding trying to either make a baby or adopt a child is something I don't have extra time for right now. PLEASE John, I need you to slow down. I'm not trying to hurt you, or be a pain in the ass. I just need you to understand that I'm going through an adjustment period right now. And, whatever hang up you have with Sophie, please figure it out. I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed. Would you like to join me?"

John was still speechless. He didn't quite know what so say. Did he still have feelings for Sophie? Honest-to-God, in a way he did. He loved what Randy and Sophie had. They had a great family unit going on, and John couldn't wait to have that. Maybe he was pushing a little too hard, or a little too fast. He nodded and stood up. He turned everything off and walked her upstairs to bed.

Melody waited for John to finish in the bathroom so she could go in there. Again she ran the water as she went to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth as neatly as possible, and finally came out. She climbed into bed and kissed him goodnight. Then they got comfortable and fell fast asleep. John fell asleep hoping that tomorrow would go over better than today.

The next morning Melody woke up and looked over at John. She didn't know what the hell was going on. Part of her was wondering if she was the one being too hasty. Wasn't having babies the logical thing that you're supposed to do after getting married? Was she letting her own fears and insecurities get in the way? Was she really being fair to John by denying him this? It wasn't his fault that she had a fucked up childhood and her mom couldn't hack being a mom and her dad pawned her off on whoever could take her.

Melody's eyes started to fill with tears, god she hated this. How do you know how to be married when you've never really had a stable marriage to look up to? Yes she had Karla and Robbie, and they had a great marriage, but they did the same thing. They had their daughter right away and years later they had their son. Meat and Leslie, got married, had Amanda. Her friends all dreamed of getting married and having kids…what was wrong with her?

John woke up and looked over at Melody and then did a double-take. "Babe, why are you crying?"

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch last night. I know that in your mind you're married now, you want to start a family. I should be more accepting of that, not accuse you of being in love with Randy's wife. I just…I told you before, I didn't know if I was even wanting to have kids. I'm working on it, I'm trying to get over being scared but I need some support. Not pushing. Seriously John, I want nothing more than to be the wife that makes your dreams come true…but at the same time, I don't want to lose myself in the process."

John sat up and held Melody close. Then he pulled back and tilted her head up to look at him as he shook his head, "I never meant to scare you. Or bully you or push you into something you're not ready for. Yes I was excited for us to become a family unit and establish ourselves as the Cena family…but I can slow down too."

"I'll make you a deal. You let me get settled in, get through auditory therapy and then we'll talk about our next move, deal?"

John smiled, "Deal." And then kissed her sweetly. "I love you, I never meant to get you feeling rushed. I'm sorry."

Melody smiled and kissed him back. She knew what she needed to do. She needed to consider parenthood. It was time to start talking to some of her friends and…even more scary…she needed to have a heart-to-heart…with her dad.

"Let's get our day started." John replied kissing her again. "I have a great idea on how to get this day off to a bang."

Melody smiled and kissed him back. "Mmm….I like the sounds of that."

And John rolled her over and made love to her.

Finally they got out of bed and got into the shower. After rocking each others' world in the shower, they got dressed and began their day.

They spent the morning unpacking her stuff and getting things settled. Then they decided to go out to lunch and do some shopping.

As they walked around, they talked and laughed. Hearing well for the first time in so long was such a new experience to her. With her hearing aids, she could hear enough to get by, but NOTHING like this. This was so eye-opening. The announcements on the PA system in stores would scare her because they were so loud.

John held her hand and cherished these moments. Soon none of this would be new and exciting, it would all just go back to being life and he was so glad to be a part of this. Be side-by-side with her. As he looked over and watched Melody, he loved knowing that she was his wife. She was the woman he would be spending the rest of his life with. She was so unique, so different, and he absolutely loved it.

Melody pulled out five bobby pins and whipped her hair into some twisted, messy up-do that she liked to wear. Then she pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and looked over at John. "I know what I want to do tomorrow morning before you have to leave."

"What's that?" He asked with a smile.

"I want to go jogging on the beach."

John smiled, "You want to go jogging on the beach?"

Melody nodded, "Yes I do. That's exactly what I want to do. I hope it's as awesome as it sounds and I'll make it a part of my morning routine everyday."

John laughed and put his arm around her, "Trust me, you'll love it."

They picked out a few new things for the house, picked out some picture frames and collage frames and then headed to the grocery store. There they stocked up and then headed home. John had made reservations at a fancy restaurant so they wanted enough time to get everything put away and get ready.

Melody went through her clothes, she didn't have very much fancy stuff. Especially that wasn't revealing, club-style clothes. She was more of a jeans and t-shirt girl. But, she did have a few things from her stage wardrobe that she could wear. She looked through and found a little black dress with sparkles all over. It was cute, and not too revealing. She paired it with a pair of silver, strappy heels and a little, silver purse.

Then she pulled her hair up into a bun but allowed random curls to fall down. Then she applied her makeup and lipgloss and made her way downstairs.

John was getting dressed downstairs. He put on a pair of black dress pants with a black, button-down shirt with a nice tie.

Melody stood in the doorway, she was looking at her husband. It was still a new concept to her. They had spent so much time apart right after getting married, that they really didn't get to do the newlywed thing until now. Now she was adjusting to doing his laundry, bathroom time, getting caught doing embarrassing things because you no longer live alone and forget sometimes. She smiled, she loved him so much.

John happened to catch her reflection in the mirror, "Hey beautiful. You look great."

She blushed, "You look pretty good yourself."

"Are you ready to head out?" John asked. He turned around and faced her.

Melody nodded, "Yup, I'm ready."

John grabbed his wallet and his keys and they left.

After dinner, they went home and sat out on the terrace. It was so beautiful out. The moon and the stars were shining brightly. Melody snuggled with John and they just enjoyed the peace and quiet. Then they headed inside and put on a movie and wound up falling asleep on the couch.

In the morning, Melody awoke the sun shining brightly through the curtains in the den. She sat up and woke John up. They got ready and headed to the beach. As they jogged, the splashed and laughed and twirled and just had fun. They returned home and while John packed, Melody made cinnamon rolls.

John came downstairs, "Wow, it smells good in here."

"You wouldn't know it, but I do love to cook. So, be prepared."

John laughed, "No problem, I'll just workout a little extra."

They sat at the table and enjoyed their rolls and talked about John's schedule. When they were out shopping, Melody had picked up a dry-erase calendar and a planner so she could keep track of John's whereabouts. She was very organized. It was something John wasn't, so they would balance each other nicely.

By the time she drove him to the airport, they were already dreading being apart again. She dropped him off and after several teary hugs and kisses, he went inside and she headed back home. Home…she shook her head in disbelief. Pulling into their driveway still seemed surreal.

Melody headed inside and called Jimmy. She was still practicing using a telephone. It was getting better, but still wasn't perfect.

He answered quickly, "Hi Melody!"

"Hi Dad. I need to talk to you. But I really wish you were here so I could talk to you in person." She replied in a somber tone.

"What's wrong?" He asked concerned. Jimmy knew just how big of a change this was for her.

"I…I could really use your advice and your knowledge. And I can't talk to anybody but you. You are the only one who'll understand. And it might be an awkward conversation, but I need to have it. Can you fly out here for a day? Please?"

Jimmy looked over at his calendar, "Melody…I…"

"Daddy please. I need you." She pleaded.

"Fine. I'll be there. I'm going to take the first flight I can get. You've got me for today and tonight, I have to fly back here in the morning."

"THANK YOU! That's perfect."

Jimmy got on his laptop and booked a flight and rushed to get to the airport.

Melody worked around the house until it was time to go to the airport. She was running the conversation through her head. How do you ask if you're destined to be a crappy parent because your mother flaked out and your dad pawned you off without hurting anyone's feelings in the process?

**Please read and review! What do you think Jimmy will have to say about John's pre-plans for Melody? Walking away from her own career aspirations to become a stay-at-home/on-the-road wife and to start a family right away?**


	33. Chapter 33

Melody waited patiently at the airport for her dad. Finally she spotted Jimmy's long gray hair. She smiled and jumped up and waved.

Jim nodded his head and made his way to her. Melody hugged him tightly, "Hi dad! I have to have my cochlear turned off because of the equipment, but once we're in the car I can turn it back on."

"_Ok_." Jim signed in response.

Once they were in her car, she turned it back on. "Ok, we're back in business."

Jimmy smiled, "Speaking of business…have you tried it out with singing or music yet? Bonnie approached me about an opportunity she thought you might be interested in."

She shook her head no, "Not yet. It's been so crazy with the move and going to therapy that I just haven't sat down and done it yet. Getting used to the phone is still a lot of work. I can't imagine trying to acclimate performing yet. Maybe I should go to a karaoke bar and get it out of my system."

Jim nodded, "That's an idea. So, what's going on that you needed me here so bad? Marriage not what you imagined?"

She shot him a look, "No…well, not exactly but not in the way you're thinking. I just…I need you to talk to about this. Nobody else understands."

When they pulled up in front of the house, Jim's jaw dropped. "This is John's house?" Holy crap!"

Melody laughed, "I know. Wait till we're inside. It's crazy!"

They walked inside and Melody gave him the grand tour. Then they sat down at the table.

"What's up sweetie?" Jim asked her.

Melody sighed, "So, I've kind of fixed the problem, but it'll still linger. We got back here and John started going on and on about how now I can quit music and go on the road with him as his personal assistant and we need to make me a doctor's appointment to have my IUD removed, or we could work on adopting first, either way it doesn't matter to him…But it matters to me. I know this sounds stupid, but I feel pushed aside. So I finally told him, when we first started dating, I had told him that I wasn't sure if I wanted to have kids or not, and back then he was ok with that. But he has this perfect little family image in his head. I don't want to be the one to deny him that. I mean, my mother couldn't handle being a parent. So I can't look to her for guidance. And I didn't spend much time with you, so that doesn't help me either. I feel like I'm genetically destined to fail at parenting. Hell, I sucked at relationships in general until John. And even that I almost fucked up when I almost slept with Randy. There is SO much changing in my life and it's all changing SO fast. I mean, I can hear now! I want to try it out as much as I can. I live thousands of miles from you and Meat and everyone I know. But I don't necessarily want to pack up and live on a bus for the next few years until the kid is in school either." She put her head in her hands, "I don't know, maybe we really did rush into this. I mean, I still can't pee without worrying he'll hear me."

Jim sat there and listened to her rant. He knew he was partly to blame. He never dated, never wanted to date. He had no interest in any of that. And the life he created for Melody was pretty solitary. You fend for yourself and if you get lonely, get a cat. He sighed, "First off, don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. And don't feel bad that you're not as ready as he is as soon as he is. You come from a very different background and different family-style then he does. John is Italian, family is VERY important to him. Remember, there's five kids in that family. There's a lot of pressure. Second, You are NOT genetically disposed to fail at anything. You know exactly what NOT to do. You know that drugs and alcohol should NEVER come before a child's welfare. You know that dying and leaving your kid behind to be raised by an anti-social work-a-holic is NOT a good thing to do. Melody, you have so much changing in your life right now. You just turned thirty, you've gotten married and moved in with a guy, you can hear now, your career is about to evolve but only if you want it to evolve. This is your time to live your life."

"But Dad, I only have five years to have kids before I'm considered "advanced maternal age" and if we want more than one biologically that is pressure I can't deny. Plus, John is almost 35. I'm sure he doesn't want to be Larry King's age when I decide I'm ready. And if we adopt first, that will take time too. Maybe I'm the one who needs to relax."

Jim nodded his head, she had very valid arguments. Melody looked up, "Do you think I have it in me to be a good mom?"

Jim's usual stern-looking face turned into a smile, "I think you'd be a great mom. I've seen you with kids. You do very well. Remember your senior year when you volunteered at the deaf elementary school and worked with the little kids? You did great."

Melody got up and started pacing, then she let out a growl in frustration. "See, part of me thinks I'm just being stubborn. And letting my fears dictate my life. How am I ever going to know if I can fly if I don't jump? Maybe this is all on me."

"The only way it's on you is because it has to be something agreed upon by both of you. As much as I would love to sit here and say that he's being an old-fashioned, sexist jerk who isn't taking you and your feelings into consideration…I have to think about you. And I know you love him, and I know that once you've adjusted and calmed down, you're going to be just fine. Yes this is a MAJOR part of your relationship, but, I say, just follow your heart."

Melody pulled a chair close to Jim and sat down. "Dad…give me a straight answer…what do you think I should do?"

Jim shook his head, "Nope. I can't dictate your decisions. This is your life, your marriage, your everything….NOT mine. BUT, if I was in your shoes, I'd reach for the sky. Go for the gold. Try for it all."

"I feel like in a way we should adopt first. If John is truly serious about adopting, which I still need to question him on. But then, since adoption takes awhile, maybe start trying too. It can take a long time after being on birth control to get pregnant, right?"

Jim looked at her as if she was talking to a wall, "You do realize you're asking the TOTALLY wrong guy, right? The only thing I can do is hook you up with a great lawyer. Just, please think about it before doing it. Don't rush your decision. I know you guys like to rush things, but this is life-changing. This sounds like a shitty thing to say, but you can get out of your marriage, you can't quit being a parent."

Melody nodded. "I know. I just wonder if I'm being too stubborn. There is so much to take into consideration. Maybe I should volunteer again. Since I'm technically out of work, maybe I'll look into that."

"That sounds like a great idea." Jim replied.

They spent the rest of the day just hanging out and talking. Then she brought him to the airport and headed back home. She had a lot to think about.

Melody's phone rang startling her from her web surfing. She was still not used to hearing the sound of the ringtone. She smiled, it was John. "Hey hubby."

"You sound in a good mood!" John replied happily.

"Well, I had a great day. Don't laugh, but I made dad fly out here so I could vent and rant." She began to say when John interrupted.

"You made your dad fly from New York to Florida for a few hours?"

Melody laughed, "Yup. And he helped me to realize that I'm being a scaredy cat. I was scared of marriage, but here I am. Married to you and living in another state with you. And I'm scared of being a parent, but yet here I am…considering the possibility. I just, I need you to take baby steps with me. Yes I will, but just not tomorrow. I'm going to look into volunteering and I want to finish my therapy first."

John smiled, "I love you. And I appreciate you considering it and baby stepping through it."

They chatted for a little while longer and got off the phone.

Monday morning rolled around, and Melody put on a nice outfit and headed to the deaf high school. She went in and talked with the administrative office about her volunteering there. After working out the details, she left with a schedule in hand. She was going to volunteer to assist with phy-ed (gym class and various sports), speech therapy and wherever needed a hand.

Melody soon fell into a routine, and LOVED it. Mondays she volunteered, Tuesday was a therapy day plus John usually came home that day, Wednesday mornings she volunteered then Thursdays were therapy and Fridays she spent the whole day at the school.

She was slowly starting to try out music again also. She used local karaoke clubs to start, and by ordering a piano for the house. That way she could be her own accompaniment. Everything was finally starting to fall into place.

Melody was also beginning to form a rapport with the kids. That meant a lot to her also. She liked knowing that if they were having trouble and didn't feel comfortable with anyone else, they could go to her. She had helped diffuse a lot of situations.

Life was beginning to settle into a nice pattern of marital bliss. The tension was easing quickly around the house, she wasn't even nervous to pee when John was home anymore!

As the weeks began to fly by, Melody realized that her doctor's appointment needed to be made soon. It had already been almost three months.

John had been very supportive of her need to slow things down a little. Once and awhile she'd go out on the road with him, but for the most part she took care of things around the house.

She was coming up on her five year mark of her IUD implantation. Which meant either she gets a new one, or she just has it removed and they see what fate has in store for them.

Then she began to ponder…Should she go ahead and remove it to surprise him? But what if he had changed his mind? Or, should they work on adoption first? Or both? They could adopt an older child… There were SO many options!

Melody had made a few close friends with some of the teachers at the school. Her closest was a woman named Lindsay. Lindsay was engaged to a hearing man also, so it was nice that they had so much in common.

The next time she was at the school, she sat down to have lunch with Lindsay. "_So…it's finally time to have my doctor's appointment. Do I remove my IUD or should we adopt first? John has made it clear that he's open to either and I don't know what to do_." She signed.

"_You could always adopt Trinity and Mike's baby. They're looking for adoptive parents. Both of them have full academic scholarships to college, and they're not ready to have a baby_." Lindsay signed back. "_But, if you wanted an older child to adopt, then maybe you should start both. Adoption takes awhile when you go through the regular channels, and not the students here. Plus, you don't know how long it'll take you to conceive_."

Melody looked confused, "_Trinity is pregnant? I just thought she was a bigger girl_."

Lindsay laughed, "_No, she's not usually. I can't remember when she's due, but I saw her and Mike signing about it at lunch. They're not finding a good set of parents and she's really nervous. She wants a good fit._"

Melody started pondering. "_Maybe I'll have to ask John about it, and then find out what needs to happen. Do you think I should ask Trinity if her and Mike would be willing to interview us first? Before bringing it up to John?_"

"_Might as well. It never hurts to ask_." Lindsay replied.

After lunch, Melody went to the speech therapy room and finally it was Trinity's class time. After class, Melody caught up with her, "_Trinity, can I talk to you privately for a minute?"_ She signed.

Trinity nodded, and they went into one of the staff lounges. Trinity signed, "_What's up?"_

"_I really hope you don't mind me talking to you about this, I'm not trying to be nosy. But I heard that you and Mike were expecting and trying to find adoptive parents_." Melody began.

Trinity nodded, "Yeah, it's really hard. We're not trying to be picky, but we want it to be right." She said verbally.

"_I was just…I'm just…throwing it out there. But, would you ever consider interviewing someone you know?" _Melody asked.

"As long as it wasn't someone I would see all the time. Once and awhile is one thing, but both of us are wanting a closed adoption. We're going to school out-of-state so it's not like we'd be around much, but we don't want it to be like an aunt or a sibling." Trinity explained.

"_Would you consider interviewing my husband and I? There wouldn't be any hard feelings if it didn't work out, but just getting the experience would be helpful. We don't know what to expect."_ Melody signed.

"You and your husband are looking to adopt? Are you unable to have kids of your own?" Trinity asked.

"_Actually, we decided that we were going to do both_." Melody replied.

"_Wow, that's great! Well…I can talk to Mike about it, but I'm sure he'd be fine with it. May I have your number and I'll text you?"_ Trinity replied.

Melody wrote it down and gave it to her. "_Just to forewarn you, my husband travels, so he's only home on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays._"

Trinity nodded, "No problem. I'll text you tonight. I've gotta run. See ya!" And Trinity hurried off.

Melody's head spun, what was she doing? She hadn't even run it by John yet. Was she off her rocker? She quickly hurried home; crossing her fingers John wouldn't be too mad at her.

**Please read and review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you for reading, liking and reviewing! I appreciate all! Have a great weekend!**

Melody couldn't wait to get ahold of John. She knew that it seemed like a drastic turn of events, but there as something inside of her that told her this was something she needed to try for. And with her gypsy soul, she just followed the beat of her own drum. There was no guarantee that Trinity and Mike would want them to be the parents for their baby. With John's line of work, he was gone a lot and they might be comfortable with that. And if Melody was working, then she'd be on the road and John would be on his own tour as well. So it was really hard to say.

She called him over and over and over. Finally he called her back, "Melody, what's wrong? Are you ok?" He asked frantically.

Melody giggled, "Hi honey. I'm fine, but there is something really important I need to talk to you about. When are you coming home next week?"

John shook his head in disbelief, as much as he wanted to be upset with her, he couldn't. She was too damn cute. "They're figuring out if they want me in person at Smackdown or if I'll just film a promo, so either Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning. Why, what's up?"

"Well…I wasn't going to do this over the phone, but do you have a few minutes?"

"I've got a few, then I have to go workout a match." John replied as he glanced at his watch. "What's going on?"

"Remember how you wanted to start a family and I asked you to hold off a bit and let me get my feet on the ground and get settled and re-calculate my life?" She began. "Well, what if I told you that I set up an interview between us and a young couple that are looking to find a family to place their baby with? Here in town?" She could barely contain her excitement.

"Wait a minute, what? What did you do?" John questioned in a very shocked tone.

"I know a girl at my school and her and her boyfriend are expecting. But they're both in agreement to give the baby up for adoption. And they're struggling trying to find the right set of parents, and so I set up a meeting for us with them. What do you think? Are you ok with this?"

John was absolutely shell-shocked. He wasn't expecting this call at all. Plus, it was kind of different then what they had talked about. "I thought we were adopting an older child and birthing our own baby." He replied confused. "And I thought you weren't ready yet? When is she due? Are you sure you're really ready for this? We haven't even figured everything out about us yet, at least if we began trying to get pregnant, we would still have 9 or more months to figure stuff out."

"Honestly, I don't know for sure, but I know it's relatively soon. And I know we had talked about that, but maybe this happened for a reason. I don't know why, but something is screaming at me that we should do this. And I know it's sudden and it might seem rushed, but didn't us rushing off to get married over my birthday a rush? And look how great this has turned out." She said trying to reason with him. "John, please, just consider it."

"Melody, I've gotta run. I have to work out this match. Don't do anything else drastic, just….wait for me to call you back after the show tonight, ok?"

She nodded, "Ok. I love you."

"I love you too babe."

"John, are you mad?" She asked softly.

"Mad? No. Not at all. Shocked and surprised, yes. But mad, no. I would never be mad about something like this." He replied in a calmer voice. "Don't worry, I just…I need some time to process it. You set the time and place on the meeting and I'll be there with bells on. I just, let me work through this, ok? And try to get some more details."

"Ok." She said with a smile. "Love you, bye!" And she hung up the phone feeling much better. She knew that she rattled his core a bit, but at least he wasn't mad and he didn't say no. Now, she just needed to wait to hear from Trinity.

Melody started to survey the house a bit and was pondering what it would be like to have a baby in it. Could she handle being a mom? Ever since talking to Trinity, she was starting to feel a few maternal pangs…maybe she did have it in her to be a good mom. She loved spending time with Pearl's son. And she always loved kids. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? And if things didn't happen with Trinity, then maybe John did have a point that pregnancy took 9 months and the time needed to conceive. And adoption through an agency would take at minimum a year.

That night she went grocery shopping, and drifted down the baby aisle. Then she grabbed her phone and text her dad and Patti, "OMG, I think I'm feeling maternal pangs…I think I want to start our family."

Patti text back right away, "That's great! Don't forget to tell John first. ;-) I think you guys would make a wonderful family and you'd be a great mom."

Jimmy took awhile to respond, when he finally did, all he said was, "Please remember, babies/kids are forever. But, it's your decision."

As she arrived back home, her phone went off. When she looked, it was a text message. "Hi, it's Trinity. Mike and I would love to meet with you guys. What does your schedule look like for next week? Mike has practice after school Tuesday and Thursday and Friday night is his game."

Melody smiled, "Hi Trinity! John will be home either Tuesday morning or Wednesday morning, so how about Wednesday night? If you'd like we can make dinner?"

"Food is always good! Wednesday night is fine, just send me your address. And please, nothing too spicy. " Trinity replied.

"No problem!" She quickly typed. Then she added her address and set the time for 5:30pm. Now it was all set. And even if it didn't work out, at least this would give her a chance to get used to the idea.

That night, Melody was lying in bed playing around on her laptop when John called her back. She grabbed it, "Hey, how was your show?"

"It was good. We had a good crowd. How was your night?"

"Pretty good. I went grocery shopping. I set up a time with Trinity. I thought we could make dinner and we could talk about everything then. That way it's more relaxed and not like a business meeting." Melody replied sitting up.

"Good, I wanted you to know that I thought about it. And if you're ok with this, then I'm ok with this. But, if this doesn't happen…are you going to be ok? You know not to get your hopes up, right?" John asked carefully.

"Yes John, I know that between your career and my career it can be a little scary for other people to picture."

"Well, then let's start preparing for this meeting. Think of everything that they might want to know about our families and our life and we'll go from there." John replied.

"Great, they take one look at dad and they'll go running!" Melody said with a laugh.

"True, no pictures. Just words." John said teasingly.

They chit-chatted for awhile, and then hung up. Melody had a plan of action. She was going to clean up the room that would eventually be the baby's room over the weekend.

**MONDAY**

Melody got to school and was busy volunteering in the art room. During lunch, she sat down with Lindsay. "_So, I talked to Trinity and she ran it by Mike, and they're interviewing us on Wednesday night_." She signed.

"_That's great! Good luck! How is John with all of this?"_ Lindsay signed back happily.

Melody nodded, "_He's good. He's happy, but trying not to get his hopes up. We have a unique lifestyle, so I'm not sure it'll be what they're looking for. Especially if they've interviewed a few already_."

They happily signed back and forth about various topics. Melody was so happy to have found such a great friend now that she was in Florida.

Meanwhile….

John and Randy hit the gym. It was a Raw night, so they were both ready to get fired up. John looked over at Randy, "Dude, how's the family?"

Randy smiled, "Really good! Hunter qualified for the state tournament for wrestling, so he'll be representing his team and as an individual. And my princess is busy getting into everything. How's married life treating you? How's Melody's hearing coming along?"

John nodded, "Really good. Married life is smooth. Melody's hearing is doing really well. She's still working on her music, she hasn't quite mastered that yet, and she still has to have the captions on for tv, but everyday stuff is going very well. Oh, and Wednesday night we're meeting with a couple that is interviewing us to adopt their baby."

Randy did a double-take, "You're what? Are you serious?"

John nodded, "Yeah. I don't a lot of the details yet, but Melody set it up. Apparently the mother and father are students at the school she volunteers at. Good kids, both have academic scholarships to college."

Randy shook his head, "Are you sure you're ready to adopt a deaf child? That's a BIG difference."

John looked over at Randy, "Dude, anybody could have a baby and something could happen that would make the child special needs. It doesn't matter whether we tried to have a baby or if we adopted. What if Ella was born with special needs? It can happen no matter what. So, honestly, yeah I'm ready. Both Melody and I will have to learn how to be parents as it is, the fact that the baby might be deaf just is another thing we'll have to learn as we go." Then he shook his head, "You said the same ignorant shit when I told you I was dating her, and look how great that turned out."

Randy scoffed and went back to his weights. They talked about the show and some of the wrestling gossip floating around the lockerroom. Finally when they were done and were ready to hit the showers, Randy slapped John on the back, "Dude, I wish you good luck. Being a parent is great. And I know you'll make great parents."

John smiled, "Thanks dude."

Melody was getting ready to leave the school for the day, when she heard someone say her name. She turned to look and it was Trinity coming down the hallway towards her. "Hi Trinity."

Trinity had a worried look on her face, "_The nurse is gone and I don't know what's going on, but something's not right_." She quickly signed.

"_What's wrong?"_ Melody asked.

"_My lower back is killing me. It hurts SO bad. And my stomach is really tight and it's hard to breathe. Then it gets better, and then it gets bad again_." Trinity explained.

As she was signing, Melody could see the pain in her face. _"Is it happening right now? When are you due?"_

Trinity nodded as she started breathing hard, _"Yeah. I'm not due for another five weeks."_

"_I think you're in labor. Where's Mike?" _Melody quickly signed.

"_What do you mean? I can't be in labor!"_ She signed with panic_. "Mike's home with the stomach flu. My parents are gone till tomorrow. This can't happen, not now. We're not ready, the baby doesn't even have a home yet!"_ Trinity's eyes began to get teary. "_What do I do?" _

Melody hugged her, "_It's going to be ok. I'll take you to the hospital. You text Mike and your parents what's going on. Don't worry, it'll be ok_."

Melody went and signed her out of school as Trinity grabbed her backpack and text everyone. Her parents said that they would start heading home now, and to keep them posted. Mike said he was still puking like crazy, but he if it was for sure labor, he'd at least come as close as they'd let him.

The whole way to the emergency room, Melody signed to her and rubbed her shoulder to try and keep her calm. They took her back, and she looked nervously at Melody, _"Will you come with me? Please?"_

Melody smiled and nodded. She helped to interpret between the doctor and nurses and Trinity.

The doctors and nurses doted on her. They ran lots of different tests, they had her hooked up to a contraction monitor and they also did an ultrasound. Trinity maintained that she didn't want to know the baby's gender. It was for her own peace of mind, especially since the baby didn't have a home yet and she couldn't tell herself she was helping out whichever family.

Melody couldn't believe what she saw. She had only seen ultrasound pictures, but never the actual thing. Watching the baby move and kick was so amazing. Trinity smiled as she watched Melody's reactions.

What seemed like an eternity later, Trinity was finally in a room and resting. Trinity looked over at Melody, "_I can't believe a kidney infection can cause all of this. I didn't even know I had a bladder infection, and the fact that it went so long and became a kidney infection is crazy."_ She spoke. "Speech therapy was paying off." She thought to herself.

Melody nodded and signed in reply, "I'm just glad you're going to be ok. The doctor said once the contractions calm down, they'll check you and then you'll be able to go home."

"Thank you for staying with me. I really appreciate it. You're so good in a crisis." Trinity said as she reached over and hugged Melody.

"_You're welcome sweetie, I'm glad I could help." _Melody said with a smile. _"Now go ahead and take a nap." _

A few hours later, the doctors finally let Trinity go home. Her parents were still a few hours away. "What were your parents doing?" Melody asked.

"Picking my brother up from college. They had to take the van so they could haul all of his stuff home with him. He's taking this semester and the summer off." She replied.

"_Are you ok going home alone?"_ Melody asked.

Trinity nodded, "Yeah, I'll be ok. I feel better and they'll all be home soon."

"_Well, if you need anything, just text me. I'll be there."_ Melody signed with a smile.

They finally got back to Trinity's house and Melody made sure she was all set. Trinity hugged her close, _"Thanks again for helping me out today. I don't know what have happened if you weren't there. And now I think the baby needs food." _

Melody smiled, "_You're so welcome. You go eat, relax and let me know when your parents get home._"

"Ok. Thanks again!" Trinity said waving. "See you Wednesday!"

Melody had text John updates through the whole ordeal with Trinity. So she finally text him that she was home and resting now.

John text back, "I'm glad she's ok. I'll call you later."

By the time Melody got home, she plopped down on the couch, turned on Raw and fell asleep.

***What a crazy day! What's on your mind? Are Melody and John ready for this? What will John think of the couple? What will Wednesday night's interview be like? Please read and review!***


	35. Chapter 35

******Thank you for the wonderful reviews! I'm SO happy that you're enjoying this! I hope everyone has a great Monday!**

**WEDNESDAY MORNING**

John walked in the door at 6:30a.m. and found Melody mopping the kitchen floor. "Honey, I'm home!" He called out.

Melody looked up and smiled. "Welcome home!"

"Gee…I'm guessing you're not just whipping the house into shape on my account." John teased.

Melody blushed, "Tell me the truth, are you upset with me?"

John shook his head no, "No. I'm surprised. I figured this would have taken a little while longer, but I'm not upset. Remember, I'm the one that freaked you out, remember?"

Melody giggled and kissed him sweetly. "I'm glad you're home. Are you tired? Hungry?"

"How about all of the above, plus some?" John said with a laugh. "What do you have on the agenda?"

"I cleared my schedule for the day once I knew you weren't coming home until this morning. So, how about I make you breakfast, then you can nap while I finish cleaning and run to the market. Then I'll wake you up and we can start working on dinner." Melody said as she hugged him.

"That all sounds good, but you've left out one little detail." John said kissing her sweetly. "What about if I want to make love to my wife to celebrate the day?"

Melody smiled and bit her bottom lip, "Then you'd better figure out a way to work that in."

John scooped her up and kissed her passionately. "Oh, I think I can do that."

Pretty soon the lovebirds were on their way upstairs for their own little celebration. By the time they finished, John was tired and fell fast asleep. Melody took a shower and returned to cleaning.

At the grocery store, Melody was listening to her iPod when her cell phone began to vibrate. She looked at the caller id and saw that it was her father. She smiled, "Hi Dad!"

"Hey Melody, how are you doing?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm good, I'm at the grocery store. What are you up to?"

"I'm calling with the most amazing opportunity EVER." Jim said with excitement.

Melody stopped in her tracks, "Most amazing opportunity ever? Are we being a little over dramatic?"

"Nope. How would you like to audition to sing back-up for Adele?" Jim replied. "Bonnie's good friends with her and was Adele mentioned to Bonnie that she needed to find a new back-up singer and Bonnie recommended you to her."

Melody swallowed hard, "Dad, I don't know. I mean, I'm still getting used to singing and I don't know if I'm all that good anymore. I've been singing karaoke at the club here in town but that doesn't mean I'm doing well." She wasn't quite ready to tell her dad about the possibility of her adopting Trinity's baby yet. Why get feathers ruffled for nothing.

"I'll tell you what. Are you familiar with Adele's music?" Her dad asked.

"Umm…yeah, who isn't?" Melody replied with a laugh.

"Use the recording software and record yourself singing one of her songs. Then email it to me. I'll call you and let you know what I think. But, you need to do it today or tonight. The tour isn't for a few months yet, but she's getting ready to start auditioning and Bonnie's been chatting you up."

Melody swallowed hard, "That's great. Yeah, I can do that. When I get done at the grocery store, I'll send you the song."

"Ok, make sure you include two others from different artists. One that's a ballad and one that's an upbeat song." Jim reminded her.

"Yup, I will. I've gotta run, but I'll email you. Love you dad." Melody said quickly. Once Jim hung up, Melody hung up the phone. Her heart was racing, was this seriously happening right now?

She got home and checked on John. He was still fast asleep. She put the groceries away and headed into her office. Melody booted up her computer and grabbed the microphone. She sang "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion and then "Make It Shine" by Victoria Justice.

John awoke to the sounds of Melody singing. He really hadn't heard her do much musically since the surgery so he quietly crept to the doorway so he could listen.

The last song she did was "Rolling In the Deep" by Adele. She belted it out with everything she had.

When she finished, she quickly emailed in to Jimmy before she could second guess herself. She didn't even listen to it.

John opened the door and began to clap. "Baby, you're back."

Melody's face broke into a huge smile, "You really think so?"

"I know so. That was amazing. You sound incredible." John said as he kissed her. "So, what are you doing now?"

"Attaching the songs to an email to dad. He wants to know where I'm at musically. Bonnie is friends with Adele and she's looking for a back-up singer. And since I can't tell him about what we're doing tonight, I have to do this or he'll get suspicious." She replied nervously.

John looked confused, "Ok, who is Bonnie?"

"Bonnie Tyler. She is a singer from England. She was famous here in the eighties for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero" from Footloose. Dad wrote those songs."

John nodded, "Ok…So, she's friends with Adele…as in "Someone Like You" Adele. And they're trying to get you auditioned for her as a back-up singer? Yet, we're in the process of possibly adopting a baby?"

"The tour isn't for a few months, and I don't even think I'd get it. And I can always decline the offer if it was presented to me. I just…I don't want to tell dad about Trinity's baby yet because I don't want to hear what he might have to say and if it doesn't happen then it was all ruffling feathers for nothing." She began to ramble when John interjected.

"And if it does happen, then we only have like two months to prepare for this baby and are you really going to be able to say no?" He said looking her in the eyes.

Melody turned away, "Maybe I should just forget about it. But, if it doesn't happen, then it'll give me a Segway to get back into things."

"It's your call babe." John replied. "I'm going to get in the shower and then I'll meet you downstairs so we can start prepping for dinner.

Melody thought about it, and then clicked the send button. If things didn't work out with the baby, she wanted to be able to do something familiar and this wasn't a permanent thing. No one knew if she'd nail the audition or not. She might not even get an audition.

A short time later, John got out of the shower and threw on a pair of jeans with a jersey. He came downstairs and found Melody mixing up a salad.

He kissed her cheek, "Looks good."

She smiled, "Thanks. It's one of my favorites."

John sat down on one of the stools, "Hey, did you send the songs to your dad?"

Melody sighed, "Yeah, I did. I know you don't agree with me still pursuing music and I know you want me to quit and just go on the road with you, but…"

John held his hand up, "Slow down. You're right, I want you to quit and go on the road with me. But that's not what you want, and I respect that. The only reason I was hesitant on you sending him those songs is because you're going to blow him away. You sound great. And I know that if I was Adele, I'd hire you in an instant. And I worry that we're going to get the baby and you're going to jet off to England and I'm not going to hardly see you for a few months and that thought drives me crazy."

Melody smiled, "That's why you're so worried? You're so sweet. What if I promise, no world tours right away if we are blessed with the baby?"

"It would make life easier for me to fly out to see you if you were at least IN the country." John said with a laugh. "And if I have to go out of the country, then at least only one of us is overseas."

She kissed him across the breakfast bar. "I love you."

He smiled as he kissed her back, "I love you too. I know, I have a lot to learn about being married. Thank you for being patient with me."

Then he got up and went into the fridge and took out the steaks he had been marinating.

Together the two began to prepare dinner. When the doorbell rang, Melody jumped. John burst out laughing, "Gee…you're not anxious."

"Shut up honey." She replied sweetly. "Now remember they're both deaf so you'll need to sign while you speak."

Melody opened the door and smiled and Trinity and Mike standing on her doorstep. "_Hi you guys!"_ She signed happily.

They smiled and signed hi back. Melody welcomed them into their home. Both Trinity and Mike were shocked but were trying to mask it.

"_Did you find the place ok?"_ She asked.

Mike nodded, "_Yeah, I used to deliver newspapers over here."_ He signed back.

Melody looked at Trinity, "_How have you been feeling?"_

"_I still have a few contractions now and then, but nothing like what it was." _Trinity replied.

John walked in from the patio where he had the steaks on the grill. He smiled as he walked into the living room, "Hi, I'm John." He said as he signed.

Trinity and Mike smiled as they greeted him. As Melody and John invited them to sit down, Mike began to sign to Trinity, "_You didn't tell me she was married to John Cena?_"

Trinity giggled, "_Oops, did I leave that part out? My bad_."

John looked at Mike, "_So Melody tells me you play football. Are you going to college on a football scholarship?_"

Mike nodded, "_Athletic and academic scholarships. They're split 50/50. I'd like to go into sports medicine._"

John smiled, "_Great field. Congratulations_." Then he turned to Trinity, "What are you going to school for?"

Trinity smiled, "_Photography and journalism_."

John was impressed, "_Wow, double major. Very nice_."

The four of them began to talk about Melody and John's life and family. John's signing held up pretty good and he only needed Melody to help him out once and awhile.

Trinity and Mike were impressed with how much John had learned to be with Melody. They also liked how between the two of them, they completely embraced sports, music, school and theater. John and Melody didn't believe that someone shouldn't pursue something just because it might not be easy. But if it's their dream, then they should go for it and they would be fully accepting.

They sat down to eat and continued their discussion there. Trinity smiled, "_Ok, I have a tough question_."

"_Go ahead_." John replied.

"_How would you feel if the baby grew up and was gay or lesbian? Or bisexual? And what if the person they loved was of another race?"_ Trinity signed.

Melody smiled, she knew how she'd feel. But, she didn't quite know how John would feel. That's a discussion they'd never really had before.

John spoke as he signed and made sure both Trinity and Mike could see him. He wasn't sure of a lot of the signs that he needed to say. "I personally believe that everyone should have the right to love whomever they choose. Gay, straight, bisexual, lesbian, whatever. And race has never been an issue. I would fully support them in whatever or whomever they love."

Mike smiled, "_Ok, how do the two of you work out your schedules? Would the baby have to be in daycare?_"

Both John and Melody looked at each other. Then Melody began to sign, "_John is on the road Friday through Tuesday. Then if there's anything extra, we go from there. Right now I'm not singing, so I can either go on the road with him or stay home. But, if the time came where I was working and he was working, then we'd have to hire a nanny just for a few hours a day unless we had a family member or close friend who wanted to come along and help out._"

Trinity took a bite, "_First off, this food is great. Second, are you guys ok with us wanting this adoption to be closed. Both of us feel that it would be a lot easier for us this way_."

Both Melody and John nodded, "_Yes, and we are ok with that. If you ever did need something like a picture to ease your minds, you can always ask and I'd be more than happy to send one."_ Melody replied.

After dinner, Mike began to sign to John about sports and his career. Trinity and Melody cleared the dishes. Melody gave Trinity a quick tour of the house and showed her what room would be the baby's room.

Trinity smiled and spoke verbally, "You guys have a beautiful house. And you really seem like the two of you are really compatible and have adapted to one anothers' lifestyle."

Melody smiled, she knew from talking to her that she was very self-conscious about the sound of her voice. So she didn't normally speak in front of hearing people unless she had to. Melody nodded, "_Yeah, we do have our differences, but we work through them and we're back on the same page fairly quickly."_

"_What do your families think of you guys adopting?"_ Trinity asked.

"_They were surprised, but supportive. They're becoming grandparents and that's their first concern. John's parents are in West Newbury, Massachussets and my dad lives in New York, so they're not super close by and that makes them a bit antsy."_ Melody replied. Jim never came out and said he wasn't happy, he just wanted her to be sure of what she was doing. And she wasn't too sure just how much John had actually told his parents yet, so she went with a blanket of happiness statement.

Trinity laughed, "_Yeah, my parents were surprised but relieved to hear that we were putting the baby up for adoption. We are both going to college and who knows what will happen there and this just isn't the right time. And honestly, I'm SO not ready for a baby. Mike's parents were really shocked but now they're supportive as long as we're comfortable with the family we choose."_

They walked downstairs and found John and Mike watching the last quarter of the basketball game. Mike was relieved that they still had captions on the tv. Trinity rolled her eyes, "_Ugh…sports again_."

Melody excused herself to use the restroom and Trinity sat down by Mike. The two of them began to sign back and forth very quickly and it appeared very animated. John let them have their privacy.

When Melody returned, Trinity and Mike stood up. "_I know its getting late and we should be going, but can we talk to you guys for a few more minutes?_" Mike signed.

"_Of course."_ John replied. And the four of them sat down in the living room.

"_We've talked and we think you guys would be the perfect family for the baby if you're still interested."_ Trinity said happily.

Both Melody and John smiled. John began to sign, "_Then we'd love to be the family for the baby_."

They all hugged and shook hands. They talked about the legal parts and exchanged business cards of the lawyers. Then as Trinity and Mike were leaving, Trinity pulled out an envelope from her purse. She handed it to John since Melody was signing to Mike. "_Here are pictures of the baby. One of them in there is in an envelope and it's up to you if you'd like to know the gender or not. We don't know. Thank you again_."

John smiled and nodded, "_Thank you_."

Once they left, John and Melody shrieked and held each other. Then they sat down together and opened the envelope. Even though Melody had watched the baby kick and move on the monitor, it really made a difference knowing that the baby was going to be theirs.

John pulled out the envelope that had the baby's gender in it. "What do you think? Should we find out?"

"I don't know. What do you think? In a way yes, in a way no." Melody replied with a smile.

"It's hard to say, if we want a total surprise, then we should wait. But, if we want to decorate the room with something other than yellow, green and red then I say yes." John replied.

Melody nodded. _"That is true. And we don't want to have to mess with painting the baby's room while the baby is here. Wouldn't it be great to have the nursery all decorated and welcoming?"_

"Alright…let's open the envelope and see what we're having." John said with a big smile.

**Drumroll…..what do you think they'll have? How do you think they're parents will react? What about Melody's big opportunity? What will she do? And what is the baby's gender? Please read and review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thanks for being so wonderful!**

Melody hugged John tight as he opened the envelope. He took the picture out and there was a tiny arrow that said, "Look, I'm a boy!"

"Oh my God we're having a baby boy!" John said hugging her tightly.

Melody laughed, "Gee, are we sure the baby isn't biologically connected to your family?"

They both laughed. Melody looked at John, "So, tell me. Have you told your parents that we had talked about adopting a baby who may or may not be deaf?"

John tried to not look like a deer in the headlights. He had told his parents. And they were less than thrilled with the idea. It was one thing if the baby God chose for them to have had special needs, but for them to go out of their way to find one…they weren't so keen on it. "Yes I have. And even though they're skeptical, they'll love their grandchild no matter what." Then he looked at Melody, "What do you think your dad is going to say?"

She smirked, "Well, he said he thinks I'll be a great mom and I should quit worrying so much. He also said that we tend to rush into things and even though we should go for all our dreams together, we should take our time."

John playfully looked at his watch, "How's two and a half months sound?"

Melody smiled, "It better sound great!"

Together they snuggled on the couch and used the iPad to start looking at different nursery designs and what all they would need for their baby boy.

John looked at Melody, "So, would you ever consider bringing him on the road with me? I have that tour bus, we just have to add a few baby things to it."

She smiled, "Of course I would. And if I was to go on tour, I know he'd have to come with me, but would you come out and see us?"

John smiled back, "Yeah I would. And I think tomorrow we should go baby furniture shopping."

Melody smiled, "Great idea!"

That night as they went to bed, John laid there staring up at the ceiling. What was it like to have a deaf baby? Do you still talk to them? Do you sing to them? Turn up the radio so they can hear it? If they can't read captions, how do they watch cartoons? Will he be extra cranky? Or will he be pretty typical? Will he laugh? Giggle? Coo? Or will he be completely silent?

Finally John flipped on the light and shook Melody a bit to see if she was awake. When she turned to face him, she could see in his face that there was something bothering him.

"What's wrong?" She asked concerned.

"I have a million stupid things about our little boy running through my head and I need some guidance." John said slowly.

Melody nodded, "Ok, like what?"

"What's it like to have a deaf baby? Do you talk, sing, play music with them? Do you watch tv with them? Will he ever talk? You didn't go deaf till you were older…what happens when you're born deaf?"

Melody couldn't catch everything John was saying, but she caught enough to put the context clues together. She reached out and touched his arm, "Hon, they're not stupid. Those are very legitimate questions. And the only reason I know the answers is because I went to a deaf school for a few years and I work in one now. Babies who are born deaf or hard of hearing are just like any other baby. You still want to talk to them and sing to them and do musical things. Tv will grab them because of the colors and the pictures. Babies can be fitted with hearing aids as young as 4 weeks old. And they'll go to speech therapy and as he grows up, we'll be able to know how well hearing aids work for him."

"He could be wearing hearing aids as young as 4 weeks old?" John questioned.

Melody nodded, "The earlier the better. And as he grows up, we'll teach him how to sign and talk."

John leaned over and kissed her, "Thanks babe."

She smiled, "Anytime."

John turned the light back off and laid back down. Now the only thing on his mind was how his parents were going to react to the news.

**THE NEXT MORNING**

John woke up the next morning and closed the door to the bedroom quietly. Then he went downstairs and called his parents. He didn't want Melody to hear it if she didn't have to. He already knew it wasn't going to go well.

And…he was right. The phone was passed back and forth between the two of them with questions like, "What are you thinking? Why would you do such a thing? Are you serious about this? Have you thought about what it'll be like?"

John would try to argue back stating that Melody was hard of hearing and she blended in with the family just fine. And lots of hearing people had deaf babies and it was out of their hands. They were born that way.

The three of them went around and around. It finally took John yelling that if they didn't like it then they didn't have to meet him and hanging up before his parents snapped out of it and called John back to apologize for overreacting but it was some pretty shocking news. And yes they felt he wasn't fully thinking about what he was doing, but children are a gift no matter what and they would love him just like any other grandchild.

"If the baby has hearing aids, we won't have to try and learn sign language, will we?" His mom asked.

"It would be very nice and beneficial if you guys at least learned a little bit of sign language for him. But, I won't know for sure until he's born. If he's deaf, hearing aids aren't going to make any difference. But if he's hard of hearing, then he'll be able to hear a bit with them." John replied. "Like Melody before her surgery."

"That's it Johnny boy!" His dad exclaimed. "All you guys will need to do is get him an implant like Melody's and then he'll be fixed!"

John got a little angry, "He won't be born broken dad. You don't just drill a hole in his head, fill it with an implant and say he's fixed. If he's born deaf, he's born deaf. You just accept it and try to do what's best for him."

"Wouldn't an implant helping him hear be what's best for him?" His dad replied.

"Being deaf might just be what's best for him. We won't know until he's here. Not everyone is a candidate for the implant, and Melody and I haven't even discussed that as an option for him. Melody wasn't always deaf and that made a big impact for her deciding to have the implant done." John argued back.

"Alright son, he's going to be your son. You as the parent have to decide what's right for him and what isn't. No matter what anybody says. Remember, you're going to be his advocate in life. Whether it's his health, his schooling or his hearing." His dad said to him sincerely.

"Thanks Dad, I'll keep that in mind." John replied calming down. "I've gotta run, but I'll talk to you guys later. I love you guys."

John hung up shaking his head. But, he was excited for Melody to tell her dad and for them to have their first experience baby shopping.

**Sorry so short, but please read and review! Thanks!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Thanks for reviewing! I hope everyone is having a great weekend!**

Melody woke up and headed downstairs. She found John in the kitchen. "Good morning love." And she wrapped her arms around him.

John smiled, "Good morning."

Melody bit her bottom lip, "So, are you ready to tell my dad the big news?"

John nodded, "Definitely.

Melody grabbed the phone and dialed her dad's number. "Hey Melody. What's up?" Jim answered.

"Morning Dad. John and I have to talk to you about something." Melody said happily.

"Ok, what's going on?" Jim asked again.

"Well…John and I are officially adopting."

"Wow, that's great. So did they give you an estimated time? A year? Two years?" Jim replied.

Melody giggled, "Two and a half months."

"WHAT? Melody, isn't that sudden? I thought we agreed you weren't going to rush into anything." Jimmy began to lecture, but Melody interrupted.

Melody smiled, "I know, but one of the students at my school is pregnant and was looking for a family to adopt her baby. And they interviewed us and liked us. Now, we also know that…"

"Wait," Jimmy interjected. "A student at your school? So, are you telling me that the baby might be deaf too?"

"Yeah. Both of the baby's mom and dad are deaf, and they're parents are deaf. But there's nothing for sure."

"So what are you going to do if Adele calls?" Jimmy asked.

"I'm going to follow through on the audition. John and I talked about it. There's no reason either of us should have to give up on our dreams because we decide to start a family."

"Wow, it sounds like you guys have worked through your issues. I'm really happy for you guys." Jimmy said happily. "But, I just hope you're not rushing too much too soon. Don't be afraid to ask for help. And, enjoy what time you have with it being just the two of you because after the baby is born it'll come few and far between."

"Thanks Dad. We're going baby shopping today. I'll send you pics when we're done." Melody quipped happily.

"You're welcome. Congratulations you guys."

She smiled as she hung up the phone. She looked over at John, "Well…Dad says congrats and to ask for help if we need it."

"Wow, that's great. My parents are hesitantly happy." John said trying to not sound disappointed.

"Hesitantly happy?" She asked.

"Well…they're not over the moon about the fact that the baby might be deaf." John mumbled. "But, they'll come around."

Melody nodded and hugged John, "I'm sorry that they're not happy. I know that they weren't very happy when they found out about me either. But now they kind of like me."

John nodded, "Well I'm not letting them get me down. And today is my last day home, so let's go out and have a great day."

Melody smiled, "Great idea. Let's go."

John took her hand and they walked out of the house together. They went through a few different stores buying baby furniture and baby clothes. It was such a wonderful day for the two of them. Miranda couldn't stop smiling. Walking side-by-side and hand-in-hand with John, she felt like the two of them had never been as close as they were right now.

John looked at Miranda, "I've got an idea. I know that we haven't been able to do a lot lately. Let's go out to dinner and have a date night."

Miranda grinned, "Sounds great. Maybe we could grab a movie too."

So the two of them made their way back to the house. They both got ready and met in the living room.

John took Miranda to a very nice restaurant. Then they went and caught the late movie. After the movie they went out for ice cream. Finally they went home, made love and fell asleep.

The next morning John woke up to his alarm going off. More and more he was dreading going out on the road. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he just wasn't as happy as he used to be. He didn't know why yet, nothing was coming together.

He sighed as he got out of bed and packed up the last-minute things he needed. John looked towards the bed and just watched Melody sleep. It was weird to think, but things were a little different now that Melody could hear. It's not like she was totally hearing, at the movies she still had to use the special equipment and when they were watching tv, she still had to use the captions. But John felt like it was a little different now. She wasn't his deaf anymore. They barely ever signed to each other, and John used to enjoy that. Sometimes it was nice being able to talk or work things out without everybody knowing what was being said. He kind of missed those days. That was one of the reasons he wanted her to go on the road with him. Because he was gone so much, he wanted to be able to spend time with her, and he felt like that was the only way they'd get that time.

Melody stirred a little bit. "John? Are you getting ready to go already?"

John tapped her and signed, "_Yeah, I am."_

Melody sat up and held her arms out to him. "Babe, I'm going to miss you. Yesterday was really great."

John nodded and signed back, "_Yeah it was_." Then he leaned in and kissed her passionately. "_I'm going to miss you._"

Melody smiled, "I'm going to miss you too."

"Don't worry, I'll call you." John said as he grabbed his bags and left the bedroom. He didn't want her to see him so upset. He was mad because of how ignorant his parents were being, he was upset because he wasn't happy about going on the road. And he didn't know how to break down and open up about how he truly felt to Melody. He was tough and macho, there was no way he could sit and tell Melody that when he was all alone in his hotel room all he could do was think about her. He missed talking to her and holding her.

He walked out and shut the door behind him. He had to hurry off to the airport.

**Please read and review! Hmm…is there some trouble on the horizon? Should John open up and be honest with Melody about how he's feeling? Keeping everything bottled up isn't a good idea!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Thank you for being so patient! I promise the updates will be more frequent now. Have a great night!**

Melody was busy accumulating frequent flier miles as the weeks passed quickly. Adele had liked her audition tape, and wanted to see her in person. So, she flew off to England. From there she flew to Florida and spent a couple days at home taking care of the household stuff and checking in on the baby. Then she surprised John by flying out to where the WWE was.

Being out on the road with him was much different now that she could hear. She could hear the comments and the other wrestlers were much friendlier towards her now. But, it also enabled Randy to do some hardcore flirting with her. There was definitely some sexual tension between the two, but they were both married. But that didn't stop the naughty thoughts from flying.

John spent a lot of time texting and talking to Randy's wife Sophie also. They were close friends, and it was something that Melody had to deal with. There were many times where she would find John with his phone in his hand and there wasn't much Melody could do or say. But, the four of them were very close and hang out a lot.

As far as Melody was concerned there was something SO wicked and so intense about Randy. The piercing stare was enough to make her body shiver. And Randy remembered just how hot she was and how great she felt in his arms.

Randy walked down the hotel hallway to John and Melody's door. Melody opened the door wearing a little black nightie with red lace trim. She bit her bottom lip and blushed when she made eye contact with him. "Um…can I help you?"

He looked her up and down and then smirked, "In a few different ways."

"Ha…Ha. Yeah, anyways, what's up?" She replied with her own smirk.

"Where's John Boy? I wanna hit the gym. And after seeing you in that little nightie, I really need to hit it hard." Randy replied.

Melody shook her head, "Not here. He had a mall appearance. You're just going to have to hit hard by yourself."

"Story of my life hottie." He said with a smirk. Then he leaned in so close they were nose to nose, "Fine, looks like I'm just going to have to pull you in my arms, kiss you passionately, slam you up against the corner of that wall and take you roughly."

Melody swallowed hard…she felt herself quiver. Not to mention that her nipples were now perky. And she was pretty sure she was now a little wet. "Wow Randy…and what would Sophie say to that?"

Randy backed up as he chuckled, "It would probably go, "Yeah that's nice…now change Ellie's diaper while I pick Hunter up from his buddy's house." house."And if you couldter up from his buddy'r nipples were now perky. And she was pretty sure she was now a little wet. "ye c

Melody laughed, "Have fun at the gym."

"See you around." He said with a smile. Once he heard the door click shut, he ran his hand over his head, "Holy fuck…" He muttered to himself.

Melody leaned against the door as she took a deep breath. Then she headed to the shower so she could get ready to meet up with John…and maybe replay what Randy said as she washed herself.

**A COUPLE HOURS LATER…**

Melody was ecstatic. She had just gotten the phone call of a lifetime. She couldn't hold back her excitement.

John was escorted into the marketing room at the Mall and smiled when he caught Melody's eyes. He smiled, "Hey babe!" And he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "What's up? You're awfully smiley."

Melody kissed his lips and grinned, "Guess who got a callback from her audition with Adele?"

John's eyes opened wide, "Wow…gosh, that's great. Congrats. I mean, that's…wow! So, when do you have to go back to England?" He replied with fake enthusiasm. He felt bad, but he just couldn't do more than pretend to be excited. With the baby coming soon he really liked the idea of her either being on the road with him so he didn't have to miss out on much. Or, she could stay home with the baby and be able to Skype and FaceTime with him all the time. Not going out on a separate tour God knows where with a nanny.

"Well, I'm going to fly home to see Trinity and Mike tomorrow. Then the day after I fly into New York and meet up with Dad. He's going to fly with me over to England and visit with Bonnie. I audition with Adele in person the following day. And I'm not sure what will happen from there." Melody replied.

John took Melody's hand and they walked out to the awaiting car. On their way to the arena, John looked at Melody, "So you're going to be gone for the whole week?"

Melody nodded, "Yeah, if not a few extra days. I want to try and get it done with now since Trinity has been having contractions and once she hits 37 weeks they're not going to stop them anymore."

"Good idea. I think what I might do since you'll be gone anyways is go home with Randy. Brock's been bugging that he wants to have a guys night so maybe now would be a good time to go." John said pulling out his phone. He began to text Sophie and Randy to see if they minded.

Melody sat back and tried not to roll her eyes. She knew that his days of freedom were limited because once the baby was born, he wasn't going to be having a lot of free time.

John squeezed her hand, "Ok, it's all set. Tonight, we'll have an extra-romantic night and then you can go do what you need to do and I'll head home with Randy. Mike has my cell phone number, so if there's any emergencies, he can reach me if Trinity can't reach you."

That night after the show, they went back to the hotel and got dressed nicely. John took Melody out to dinner at a local Perkins. As they ate dinner, John looked across the table at her, "You know, not too much longer and we'll be the three of us from now on."

Melody smiled and nodded, "Yeah, almost 6 weeks from now. If not sooner."

He leaned across the table and kissed her, "I'm really going to miss you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Melody looked at him as if he was nuts, "Yeah! This is an amazing opportunity. And Malika has already said that she'll be nanny and that would be great since she's deaf and if he's deaf then I can make sure that he's getting what he needs no matter where we are."

John nodded, "I know, but God this is just…so early to be so far apart."

"John, you have to remember that I have a career too. Now granted, mine might not be the same caliber as yours, it doesn't mean mine is any less meaningful. Music is my life."

"Yeah, well why can't me and the baby be your life?" He shot back.

Melody looked taken aback, "Excuse me? I'm not sitting here asking you to take off from your career and stay home or turn into some assistant. So why do you think it's ok to ask me to do so?"

"Because obviously my career is not the same as yours. And you are the wife and mother and why can't you do what Sophie's doing? Step away from your career and be a devoted wife and mother." John argued at her.

Melody's face turned completely enraged, she slammed down her napkin to her table and stood up, "This is the second time I've had to say these words. If you want Sophie so bad, go be with her." Then she marched off towards the door.

"Shit." John grumbled. He threw money on the table and ran after her. "Melody, Melody wait."

Melody turned her implant off and kept on walking.

John caught up to her and turned her to face him, "Melody wait."

"What, I can't hear you?" She shouted.

He stopped her and started signing, "_I'm sorry. I'm not trying to be an asshole. I just hate the thought of us being apart so early in our son's life. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I…I've never been in love like this and it's seriously fucking with my head. Wrestling has always been everything, and now that I'm so in love with you, all I want to be with is you. And it kills me when we're apart. Of course I want you to be successful and I want all of your dreams to come true. It's just….I miss you."_

Melody smiled, and she signed as she spoke. "_I love you too. And I miss you too. I know I don't seem as tore up as you, but I just haven't allowed myself to be. I…I don't know what to say. But, you have to understand that this is a really big chance."_

John nodded, "_Yeah, I know. And I want you to go, see what happens. Don't let my hang-ups hold you back_."

Melody broke into laughter, "I'm sorry…. But did you just sign hang-ups as if you were hanging up a phone?"

"Shut up." John teased.

They held each other and kissed sweetly. "Wanna go back to the hotel and make some memories?" He asked her.

Melody smiled, "Yeah I do."

And hand-in-hand they walked back to the Perkins parking lot and headed to hotel. They may not have solved everything, but they solved enough for the time-being.

**Please read and review! What do you think about John's thoughts? What about Melody's position? And what the hell is up with the four of them? Please read and review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**I love your feedback! You guys are wonderful! Thank you! Please read and review!**

The next day, Melody woke up to her alarm watch vibrating. She got up and hopped in the shower and let John sleep. Once she was done, she got herself dressed and packed her last couple things. Then she headed down to the lobby so she could quick eat a little breakfast. She didn't even bother turning on her implant because she didn't figure she would see anyone important.

She went up to the counter and began to make a belgian waffle. Randy had just gotten down to the lobby and spotted her at the counter. "Hey sexy...wanna toast my waffle?" He said playfully.

When she didn't respond, he realized that she couldn't hear him. He walked up behind her and super close and tapped her shoulder. When she turned to see who it was, she was nose-to-nose with Randy. Melody couldn't help but blush. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Hmm...I do believe I can think of many different ways you could help me." He said with swagger.

Melody smiled, "Gee...sounds like fun. Thanks for the offer. But I have to eat quickly because I have to get to the airport."

"Wanna have breakfast together?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."

Melody poured herself some syrup and grabbed some butter while Randy made himself a waffle. Then they headed back to his room.

John woke up to the sound of his phone going off. He looked at the caller id and saw it was Sophie. "Mmm...morning Sophie."

"Aww...did I wake you up? I love the sound of your voice waking up to me." She teased.

"How're you doing? How're the kids?" He asked as he sat up.

"I'm good. The kids are good. They keep me busy." She replied. "I got your text that you're coming home with Randy this weekend, but I thought you should know that he's not coming home. Vince booked him on some extra appearances. But, you're more than welcome to come out for a visit."

John thought about it, "Well, it has been a long time since I've seen you guys."

"I miss you." She replied. "And Hunter's been asking about you."

"Consider it done. I'll fly out to see you guys."

"Awesome, text me your flight time and I'll be there to pick you up." Sophie said happily. "I can't wait to see you."

"You too Soph." And he hung up. He was so excited to see Sophie. It sucked his guys weekend wasn't going to happen, but he could see his two favorite kids and he hadn't seen Sophie in a long time.

Randy looked at Melody, "What's wrong? You don't look like yourself."

Melody shrugged it off as she took a bite of her waffle. Then she turned on her implant so she could hear him. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"You suck at convincing." He said with a laugh. "Now what's wrong?"

"I don't know...I mean, I do know, but I don't know if I'm right in being upset."

"You can talk to me, what's going on?" Randy said.

"I should be super happy right now. I got a call back on my audition with Adele. Now I'll get to sing for her in person." Melody said sadly.

Randy stood up, "Oh my God! Melody, that's GREAT!" He took her hand and stood her up and hugged her. "That's amazing! Congratulations!"

Melody hugged Randy with a smile, "Wow! Thanks Randy. But you're forgetting...we have a baby coming in six weeks or less."

"AND?" Randy asked. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime! If you're lucky, you guys will be home the same days and on the road the same days."

Melody shook her head, "Probably, but John really doesn't want me doing it. He thinks I should stay home with the baby or go on the road with him and the baby and serve as his assistant. The idea of me being on my own tour isn't sitting well with him."

"Too fucking bad." Randy replied shaking his head. "This is your chance to continue making your dreams come true."

"Yeah, I know. And I want this SO bad. I love Adele's music. But I hate the fact that I'm not his perfect little wife." She said sadly.

Randy felt bad, he hated seeing her so sad. He knew that music was the world to her. And especially with her upbringing and now being able to hear, it was even more important. "Hey, Chase your dreams now. You never know what could happen. And then you're stuck wondering the what-ifs. There is no guarantee to having a healthy baby. Hunter was born and Melody was told he was healthy. Eighteen months later there was her healthy little boy having his first heart surgery. You never know what could happen."

Melody nodded, "You're right. There's never a guarantee about tomorrow. So we have to seize the moment while we have it."

"You've got that right. If there's something you want to do, do it." He said feeding her a bite of her waffle. "So where are you headed?"

"Well, I'm flying home to check in with Trinity. Then I'll be flying to England for a little while. But then I'll be back." She replied.

"Very awesome."

Melody finished her waffle, "Well, thanks for letting me eat breakfast with you and cheering me up. I appreciate it."

Randy hugged her and gave her a kiss on her forehead and smiled, "Anytime."

She blushed as he kissed her forehead. There were times like this when she wouldn't mind just a little kiss from him. Then she shook her head, what was she thinking? She was a married woman now and dammit no naughty thoughts. "See ya Randy." And she walked out.

When Melody walked into her hotel room, John was just coming out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. "Morning. Where have you been?"

"I went and had some breakfast. What about you? What woke you up?"

"My phone was ringing." John replied as he grabbed clothes. "How long until you've gotta go?"

"Not long. I already called down to have cab take me because I didn't want to bother you." Melody said as she began to gather her suitcases.

"Oh, ok. I'll miss you." John said as he went over to her and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, I'll miss you too." Melody replied.

A few minutes of awkward silence later the phone in the room rang telling Melody her cab was there. She looked over at John, "Alright, I'm leaving."

John pulled on his shirt and went over to her. "Bye wifey. Be safe and good luck."

She smiled, "Thanks, you too. Have fun."

John kissed her quickly and she left.

Not long after she left, John's phone went off. When he grabbed it, there was a picture of Sophie smiling at him. "Waiting for your arrival."

He smiled and text her back, "I can't wait to get there."

**Hmm...things are getting a bit weird...Please read and review!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Thank you for the reviews you guys! FOREWARNING! This chapter is a bit descriptive…but I made sure it was rated M. Thx!**

John walked off the plane and began to look through the crowd for Sophie. When he found her, she hadn't yet spotted him. So he quickly ducked away and worked his way through the people so he could sneak up behind her.

Sophie was looking around, where could he be? The man wasn't tiny. Part of her wondered why she was so anxious to see him, she had butterflies in her stomach. But a small sliver knew why…the same reason she had wore a pretty purple blouse with a short, flirty skirt.

John walked up behind her and leaned in close to her ear, "Hello beautiful."

Sophie turned around with the biggest smile on her face. John wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Sophie squeezed him tight, "Hi John."

Without a moment's hesitation, John looked into her eyes, tilted his head and pressed into her as his lips met hers. The taste tempted him to tease the kiss a bit with his tongue.

She couldn't help but whimper as she swayed forward, kissing him back. Her ample breasts were pressed firmly against his ribcage. And for a moment, the world stood still. Her mind was racing, her head was spinning…she knew she shouldn't be doing this, let alone be enjoying this. But it felt damn good.

John finally lifted his head, what had he just done? What the hell was he thinking? He stared down at her, he'd be damned if he didn't want to kiss her again. Her scent was intoxicating and she tasted like heaven. And if it was just a whoops kiss…then why was he hard? Sophie's pretty eyes were still closed and her kissable lips were parted just slightly with a hint of a smile painted across them.

Sophie's eyes fluttered open and she blushed feverishly. She looked into his eyes, "Well hello to you too."

John cleared his throat, "It's great to see you. I've missed you."

She bit her bottom lip, "I've missed you too…a little bit." Confessing that was hard, but not as hard as his erection was. There was no way she could've missed it, it was pressed against her and she couldn't help but have a couple naughty thoughts race through her mind.

But now was the awkward silence. Sophie was married to John's best friend. So why was John the man on her mind? Not to mention the fact that Randy had cheated on her, she knew the pain, so why was she wishing John would whisk her away somewhere and take her?

"Let's get out of here." John suggested. He was wondering if she had noticed that he was rock hard. He tried denying it, but there had always been something about Sophie that drove him crazy. She was the perfect woman, perfect wife and perfect mother...unfortunately she was Randy's wife, not his. But John and Sophie had history. John had been the one by her side helping to take care of her while she was on bedrest with their daughter Ellie. While John was recovering from an injury he stayed with Sophie per Randy's request. But Randy was off and cheating on Sophie. John and Sophie contemplated a relationship because they had fallen for each other, but she was carrying Randy's child and she felt like she needed to give her marriage another try. Fast forward to the present, John and Sophie text each other throughout the day, Skyped when they could and talked on the phone at least once a day sometimes even when they were home with their spouses. They both knew the ups and downs of each others' marriages.

Sophie took his hand and led him through the airport out to her car. All she could think about was what he was hiding under those jeans…and the fact that he felt it for her, even after all this time and with her having had two kids.

As they got into the car, John looked at Sophie, "I know Hunter's in school, but where's Ellie?"

"Well, mom and dad have a hotel room in town for the night, so they're taking them for tonight." She replied. Then as they waited in line for the cashier of the ramp she looked over at him, she felt the need to tease him. "You sure did get excited to see me."

John laughed and shook his head, "I know a few colorful ways of saying that."

"Enlighten me."

John cleared his throat, "Let's see…Completely aroused, turned on, hard-as-hell, leaving me thinking of pleasuring you."

Sophie didn't quite know how to respond. This was not in her mindframe. She didn't know what to think. Knowing the truth made her feel warm and fuzzy, yet tingly, excited, dangerous and scared to death. He was flirting with danger…and what scared her was she was enjoying every minute of it.

All John could do was think about how mind blowing that kiss was. He smiled, "But, I think you liked it." Then he reached over and placed his hand just above her knee, on her bare skin.

They began talking about the kids and wrestling and their lives and everything under the sun except they didn't mention the kiss. Or their feelings. They were both avoiding the topic.

As they pulled into the driveway, they both turned to speak and met nose-to-nose. Sophie blushed and quickly turned to get out of the car. Her mind was made up, this was NOT happening. She walked to the trunk to get John's bag.

Upon seeing her bent slightly over with the wind blowing her skirt up a bit, John's cock began to stir again. He walked up behind her and lightly pressed against her, "Here, let me help."

She looked over her shoulder and John took the opportunity to kiss her again. He leaned in and planted his lips on top of hers. John's tongue gently teased her lips apart so he could passionately French kiss her.

Sophie kissed him back and turned so she wasn't twisted around, but that brought their bodies that much closer together.

Now the two were tightly pressed against each other, caught up in a steamy make-out session. John had no idea what had come over him, but Melody was the last thing on his mind. He slid his hands down her sides and he lightly let them wander up her skirt and he cupped her ass as he pulled her hips against his.

The surprised moan that escaped Sophie only made his shaft throb that much harder.

Sophie didn't have a clue what was going on with her body, or what was controlling her movements, but she was lost in his arms. She reached down and squeezed his ass in return.

"Wanna go inside?" John mumbled.

Sophie nodded, she pulled away and began to head to the door as she searched for her keys. Her hair was pulled up in a bun which left her neck exposed. As she was unlocking the door, John began to kiss her neck and was working his way up to her earlobe where he nibbled lightly.

She leaned her head back and took a deep breath and reached behind her, not realizing just where her hand was, she found herself with a handful of his erection. Now it was John's turn to moan.

John reached around her and pushed the door open and the two basically fell into the house. Everything was dropped right there and the two became entangled in one another.

John hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs tightly around his hips. He carried her up the stairs as she began to unbutton his shirt as she kissed him hungrily. Sophie hadn't been a very sexual person in the last year, but her body was screaming in ways she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

He slid his hands up her skirt and teased at the thin layer of cotton panties she had on. John took her in the guest room he slept in, and set her down so her feet could touch the floor.

She began to undo his belt, but stopped and looked up at John, "We really shouldn't be doing this." She whispered to him.

John nodded, "Yeah, I know." But without missing a beat, he continued unbuttoning her shirt and kissed her now exposed chest. Her satin bra showed her perky nipples, just begging to be teased.

She took a deep breath as he slid her shirt down her arms and tossed it aside. Then she unbuttoned and carefully unzipped his bulging pants.

John tilted her head and deeply kissed her as he unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Sophie began to kiss his chest, and kissed a trail down as she slid his boxers down to reveal his massive erection. Then she kissed her way back up to his lips.

John un-did her bra and with a sweeping move he laid her down on the bed and looked into her eyes, "Would you like me to stop? Or should we see what we could have had?"

Sophie matched his gaze, "What could we have had?" She asked breathlessly.

He grinned as he slid her panties off, "Let me show you this weekend."

She nodded as John began to show her. He teased her nipples with his tongue and grinded his body against hers. "God Sophie you're beautiful."

Sophie took a deep breath and decided to go out on a limb, "I love you smell…and I love you taste."

He slid one knee between her thighs and gently spread her legs apart revealing her womanhood to him. "Now you're going to love how I make you feel."

He had wanted her for so long, he ached for her, yearned for her, and imagined this moment for so long…Now it was finally coming true. She was constantly on his mind on a day-to-day basis, this was a dream come true.

As he slowly guided his throbbing manhood into her John let out a deep moan, "Oh God Soph."

Sophie squeezed as hard as she could around him. She wiggled beneath him, begging for more. "Oh John."

He slowly began rocking deeper and deeper. He gently thrusted, he wanted to control himself but she was making it difficult.

She moaned sweetly and rocked with him. Their rhythm was slow and steady. They gazed deeply into each others' eyes as they made love. And love was what it was. Soon their passion was too much.

The pace quickened and soon they were both gasping and reaching and moaning. John made sure Sophie came first before he exploded. Once he felt himself reach the breaking point he pulled out slowly. He hadn't planned on any of this happening, so he wasn't prepared.

He got up and cleaned himself up a bit, then climbed in bed with Sophie and snuggled against her. They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces. Neither one thinking about their spouses.

John awoke before Sophie, so he enjoyed just laying there watching her sleep. He looked her up and down, she had beautiful curves. At this point, he was not going to let himself think about tomorrow. Or their spouses. Right now, it was their time.

Sophie felt herself waking up, but she wasn't ready to just yet. Waking up meant facing reality. She had just cheated on Randy…with his best friend. But, why didn't she feel bad? Why did she feel like she was wrapped in the arms of someone special? Right now she was basking in the glow of the love they had made. "Making love..." She thought to herself. "Is that what we just did?"

Finally she fluttered her eyes open and smiled at John. "How'd you sleep beautiful?" John asked.

"Great. And you?"

"I'd have to agree." He replied with a kiss. "I should make you dinner."

Sophie smiled, "Or, we could go downstairs and order something?"

They got out of bed. She threw on his button-down shirt with nothing underneath and he slid into his boxers. His clothes were all downstairs where he had dropped his bag. Once they got downstairs, they ordered pizza and John slipped into sweatpants.

They put on a movie and enjoyed their pizza. And before long, they were enjoying each other once again.

**Next chapter is what Melody is up to. PLEASE read and review! Thanks!**


	41. Chapter 41

**I LOVE your feedback! Thank you! And yes, things are going to crazy up in here!**

Melody was excited to go and see Trinity. What she was not happy about was where her and John were at couple-wise. John expected her to be a different person, and she wasn't ready to completely change who she was. It was bad enough she had to tuck so much of herself away so her and John wouldn't bicker and argue.

After taking Trinity and Mike out to dinner and being able to rub her tummy and coo at the baby. She got to feel him move around and kick. Then she headed home to book a flight to England.

Finally she decided on a flight to New York instead. She needed to "go home" and hang out with friends and go to a few of her favorite places just to let her hair down and have some fun. Especially before going to her audition.

Melody treated herself to a hot bubble bath and then climbed into bed to watch late night tv and fall asleep. She couldn't wait to surprise everyone in NYC, so she wasn't telling anyone she was going, she'd just drop in.

The next morning Melody quickly packed and headed to the airport. She planned on doing some shopping so she didn't have to pack as much.

Melody arrived in New York and couldn't wait to surprise everyone. She headed over to Maliah's house first. But, she found out that Maliah and her boyfriend were out of town for the week. So she started texting a few other friends but they were busy too. She couldn't believe it!

Finally she caught up with Tami. Tami was one of Melody's VERY wild friends. She was always up for a night out on the town, but usually wound up going home with someone. Boy, girl, it didn't matter to Tami.

They went back to Tami's after shopping all day and began to get ready. They did a tequila shot and put her hair up in hot rollers. Then she did her make-up. She slipped into her new purple corset top which made her cleavage look fabulous and her matching flirty skirt. She pulled on her thigh-high fishnets and her new black spike boots. She finished everything with her red, glossy lipstick.

Tami was wearing a leopard-print micro-minidress with black high heels. Big hair and red lipstick. Together they did another shot and hit the town.

By the time they got to the club the line was already long. Thankfully Tami had VIP for the night. The place was well known and very popular.

Once they were inside they headed for the bar. They did another shot and hit the dance floor. They danced for awhile, and then Tami went off and began flirting. Melody found herself an open cage up in the VIP area. And seeing as how his life lacked all of the above, he was ready to drink, rock out and watch the ladies be sexy.

He got a beer and began making the way through the crowd. He danced with some hot chicks and had a few drinks. Then he spotted the sexiest woman in the club. A brunette goddess with big brown curls, wet red lips, and a skirt so short that if she moved just right he could see the curves of her ass. She was grinding around inside a cage in the VIP area. He couldn't see her face because of the wild curls, but between her lips, tits and ass Randy didn't even care at this point. If it meant dancing behind her for awhile, and then going back to the hotel to jerk off to the image in his head, so be it. So he made his way to the girl in the cage.

Melody didn't mind dancing with another guy as long as he was respectful. But soon the guy had a firm grip on her hips and he was grinding a little too close for her liking. "Maybe you could back up a little."

"You're a very sexy girl." The male voice said to her. The voice was borderline chilling yet tiptoed on the dangerously erotic side. The shots had kicked in and she knew she was buzzing already, but the words sent ripples through her.

"Thanks. You're pretty sexy yourself." She teased back. She hadn't seen his face, but the voice was hot.

The guy turned her around swiftly. Their eyes made contact and they both looked shocked! They both exclaimed each others' names in unison.

Melody looked around, then she rested her hand on her hip and shot Randy a sassy look, "If you're here, where's John? I know you wouldn't be here."

Randy shrugged, "How the hell would I know? He's probably grilling at Brock's house. I had an appearance so I couldn't go. Why are you here?"

"I came to try and cheer myself up before I fly to England. So here I am."

Randy looked her up and down. Between the cleavage and the mini-skirt with fishnets he was already turned on. Adding in the fact that it was Melody and her kissable red lips…he was turned on. He leaned in close, "Baby, I wanna cheer you up."

Miranda gave Randy a sexy look and pouted her lips at him, "Wanna dance?"

"Fuck yeah!"

And soon they were out dancing. Soon the two of them were dancing very sexy. Melody was dancing in front of Randy. Finally he caught her hips and pressed himself against her. "Damn Melody, you're so frickin' sexy." He growled into her ear and he nibbled at her earlobe. The raging bulge in his pants was driving him crazy.

Melody was shaking her ass against him. She could feel he was hard and the thought was turning her on. Not to mention how good he felt. And the countless number of fantasies she had been having about him.

Just to be a tease, she took his hand and led him outside of the cage to the chairs in the corner of the VIP area. She sat him down and strattled him, "You ain't seen nothin' yet." And she began to give him a lap dance.

As she rocked her body along to the music, Randy was growing rock hard. Her plunging neckline went even lower as she brought herself up and her ample cleavage was in his face.

His hands started out holding her hips, but he couldn't resist anymore. He had to touch her…feel her…So and slowly let it slide up her thigh. As he felt her take a deep breath, he let his hand travel up even farther. Then he looked at her with surprise, "You're not wearing any panties?"

She bit her bottom lip, "I took them off when you went and bought us drinks. They're in my purse if you'd like."

With his other hand he spanked her, and the look on her face said it all. "Mmm…you like to be freaky don't you?" He said to her seductively.

Melody didn't say anything, she just blushed. As she went back to lap-dancing to the music, Randy reached and undid his jeans. Thankfully he forgot to pack his belt. He unzipped himself and without saying a word, he took the tip of his hard cock and pressed it against the edge of her moist haven.

With his other hand he grabbed the back of her head and crashed his lips against hers. Their tongues taunted and teased one anothers'. Melody bit his bottom lip as he pressed his way against her a little more.

Randy rocked her hips so he could completely enter her. She was so tight and wet against his shaft he let out a low moan.

Melody gasped in surprise, but rolled her hips as she squeezed her muscles around him. Hearing him moan only turned her on more. She began to bounce up on him, she found the angle that allowed him to be as deep as possible and she moaned.

Randy grabbed her tightly and held her as close to him as possible. He looked around and saw that the coast was clear. He wrapped her legs around his hips and stood them up against the wall, and there he began to drive into her.

There was no holding back. She was thoroughly enjoying every minute of this. And the rougher the better. She held on tight as he began to thrust as hard as he could. Her head and back banging against the wall was SUCH a turn on.

They were both getting close, Melody grabbed Randy's neck and bit him, "Oh God Randy. This is it." She panted.

As he thrust, he pushed with all of his might as they exploded. Then they began to passionately make out. He finally lowered her down. "Let's get the hell out of here. I'm not done with you yet." He said as he zipped his pants. "Go get cleaned up, and we'll head out."

Melody went into the ladies room and cleaned herself up a bit with a paper towel. Never had she ever done anything like this in a nightclub…but it was HOT.

They quickly slipped out a side door where Randy had a chauffeured car waiting. They climbed in and he barked orders at the driver and put up the privacy window.

Randy dropped his pants and laid down on the seat. He was already getting hard again. "Sit on my face sweetie." He said to Melody.

She smiled, "With pleasure." She purred. And she sat down straddling his face, but facing his aroused cock.

And as Randy began to tease her clit with his tongue, she began to rub him. Soon Randy moaned and began to nibble her sweetly, so Melody returned the favor by taking his shaft into her mouth. As she began to blow him, Randy not only went down on her, but also used the tip of his thumb to tease her ass.

When it was apparent she did not have an issue with anal sex, Randy grew even hotter. The two finished each other off and quickly got dressed. They drank champagne and snuggled. Melody sat on his lap and Randy rubbed her tits and kissed her neck as she rubbed the outside of his pants.

"I have GOT to have some of this ass." He said as he began to make-out with her again. Once the car stopped they barely made it up to the room before Randy was already trying to get up her skirt.

Outside his hotel room door, Randy sandwiched Melody between him and the door and began sliding his hands up her skirt again. Then he began to lightly stroke her with is finger.

"Mmm…you'd better have some lube in there." She purred. "You're a big boy."

"Damn right I do and damn right I am." He replied as he pushed the door open. The two fell inside and were all over each other. The door slammed shut as the two were quickly pulling each others' clothes off.

As Melody's corset came off Randy couldn't believe his eyes. She was SO hot. Her tits were perfect sized and perky. He pulled her to him and quickly began to suckle on her nipple as he pinched and twisted the other one. Then he reached into his duffle bag and came out with the lube.

He roughly spun her around and pushed her up against the dresser. He lubed himself up and began to prep her with his fingers. Once she was relaxed, he began to tease at her tight opening with the tip of his hard rod.

Melody moaned loudly as she began to scoot backwards until he was pressing against her tightly.

Her desperate moans had Randy quaking. He slowly inched himself in deeper and deeper as he reached around and fingered her clit.

Melody arched her back and let out another pleasure filled moan. She reached and played with his balls. "Oh God Randy," She panted.

"Make it yours" Randy commanded. And she did as she was told, she began to circle her hips and carefully began to bounce up on it. Then he couldn't take it anymore and he thrust the rest of himself inside her. Then they started rocking back and forth until finally they were slapping flesh to flesh.

The both came with a fury and collapsed against the dresser.

Randy held her close and kissed her up her spine and the back of her neck. "I hope you're not done, because you haven't seen anything yet."

"Mmm…Then make me yours baby." She cooed at him.

And they did…all night long.

The next morning Melody awoke with a killer headache. She didn't drink often so she was a lightweight by nature. She snuggled into the muscular arm holding her and she nuzzled into the chest she was laying on. She was kind of shocked that Randy was still there. She had been buzzed but she remembered everything and every way that her and Randy had had each other. It was pretty hot.

She opened her eyes and looked him up and down. He was naked and sexy as ever. He kissed the tip her nose, "Morning babe."

Melody couldn't help but smile, what was it about this guy? "Morning Viper…I must say, now I know how you got you nickname."

He laughed and winked at her, "Nah…I think you forgot. And I think you need me to remind you."

She giggled and blushed. She was glad it wasn't awkward. "Well, I have a killer headache, and I'm a bit sore."

"Then I should show you my other side." He said as he began to kiss her sweetly. "I want to make love to you."

Melody was a little taken aback, "You want to make love to me?"

"Hey, I might have been buzzed, but I'm not stupid. I had control if I wanted to control myself. But I think we both know we needed last night." He said with a sexy voice.

She bit her bottom lip and looked deep into his eyes. She could see he was telling her the truth, "Make love to me Randy." She whispered.

"With great pleasure my dear." And he rolled her over. From there he proceeded to make gentle, sweet love to her. It was beautiful and amazing. Their eyes were locked on each other the whole time and each kiss and stroke was filled with emotion.

Afterwards they snuggled in bed and just held each other. They knew Melody had a plane to catch later that afternoon and they didn't want to throw the rest of the day away.

When Melody was in the shower, Randy text Sophie just to check in and see how the kids were and to see how she was doing. And when Randy was in the shower, Melody text John, but all he answered back with was, "Are you still going to England?"

She responded with "Yes, I'm catching a plane this evening." And he didn't answer her after that.

John and Sophie had spent their weekend living as if they were a couple. Hunter didn't even object. John took him to practice and played with him at the park. They shot some hoops and threw the football around. And Ellie LOVED John. She clung to him as much as possible.

John treated Sophie like she was his wife. They went grocery shopping together; they talked about anything and everything. Including their marriages and the ups and downs they were going through.

Sophie fully agreed with John that Melody was making a huge mistake with wanting to go on her own tour. But Sophie and John had a lot of those things in common. Just like the bedroom. They both were a bit old-fashioned. John enjoyed sex, but in normal positions and normal places. Sophie could take it or leave it, she was so tired from the kids, that before John, her and Randy hadn't had sex in a month and a half!

Sophie was like a different woman with John. She felt alive. She felt special again. They were even experimentative and made love in the shower so the kids wouldn't find them. And they also made love in Sophie's bed as well.

Thursday morning John hated packing up his stuff. He felt like he was leaving the love of his life behind. He had thought he felt that with Melody, but this…this was unlike anything he had felt before. Sophie was the perfect woman. He loved being with her and the kids. They shared the same parenting views, values, and the way he felt when she looked at him…John sighed as he headed downstairs.

Sophie was downstairs making breakfast for the kids. She was so sad that John had to leave already. As much as she tried, she never could shake the feeling that she had made a mistake staying married to Randy. She hid it well and faked it like no other, but deep down inside John was the only man on her mind. Seeing John happy made her happy, but she was SO jealous. And to see that Melody was not even appreciating the man she had only made her even more upset.

She loved Randy, and probably always will, but they lacked passion, they lacked things in common. When they were home with each other, they barely spoke lately. Randy was a great dad, but they had grown apart. And not only were they not having sex, but usually Randy just slept on the couch. There was more convenience then there was love. And they bickered all the time about discipline and she felt he was way too hard on Hunter. So they fought about that a lot. But, all in all he was a good dad.

John got downstairs and Hunter leaped on him. "Do you really have to go?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah buddy, I've got a show tonight." John replied holding onto him.

"Can you drive me to school today?" Hunter asked.

John looked over at Sophie, "Can I drive your car?"

She nodded, "Sure you can."

Hunter jumped up and down "Oh yeah, Oh yeah."

Ellie burst into laughter and soon they were all laughing.

"Come on, eat your breakfast so John can take you." Sophie said putting his cereal and toast in front of him. She looked at John, "I'll make you breakfast when you come back."

"Sounds good." He said with a wink.

Sophie smiled as she turned around and tended to Ellie.

Finally Hunter and John left. As they were driving to school John quizzed Hunter on his spelling test words. At the school Hunter looked at John, "I'll miss you John. I hope we see you again soon!" He hugged him and kissed his cheek. Then he unbuckled his seat belt and ran into school.

John got back to the house and found Sophie still in the kitchen. "I've got an hour till we have to take off."

She nodded, "Yup, and your omelet is just about done."

Together they sat down and ate breakfast. Then Sophie surprised John by putting Ellie in the toy room with her favorite movie and grabbed his hand. "You can't leave without showing me how much you love me one more time."

"What about Ellie? Will she be ok?" John asked.

Sophie nodded, "Yes, you have 37 minutes to show me. By then it'll be time to leave. This is how I shower."

John laughed and kissed her, "Then let me carry you across the threshold and I will show you just how much I love you."

She looked at him, "What did you say?"

John sighed, he didn't mean to say it, it just came out. "Soph, I'm sorry…I"

She put her finger to his lips, "Say it again."

He looked into her eyes and pushed her hair back behind her ear, "Sophie, I've loved you for so long. This weekend has meant the world to me. But, it did show me that I've made some bad decisions in the last couple years. I love you Sophie."

Tears filled her eyes as she kissed him, "I love you too John."

And he laid her down one last time and made love to her. It was delicate and loving…and only made them fall even harder for one another.

The trip to the airport was agonizing. They got to the airport and John looked at Sophie, "We should be together, you know it and I know it."

Sophie nodded, "I know, but I have the kids to worry about. Hunter's in school, and we don't even live in the same state. I just…I just don't know how it would work. Not to mention the fact that we're both married."

"Promise me you won't give up on me." John said squeezing her hand. "I can't deny this love. You and I were meant to be. Now I know it for sure. Tell me that you'll think about it."

Sophie began to cry as she nodded her head. This was so complicated. Finally the final boarding call sounded and they kissed goodbye. Before John was even on the plane Sophie sent him a text knowing he wouldn't get it for awhile, "I love you John. I'll never forget this." And she pushed Ellie's stroller through the crowd and headed home.

**Meanwhile-**

Randy and Melody finally got up and showered. This time they didn't fool around. Randy wanted to learn more about her, so she decided to suck it up and be honest. They went out to lunch and she told him everything she had told John. Then they talked about her audition and the baby that was on the way. Randy even asked her about how long till the baby came and if there were any possible names picked out yet. And when all of that didn't scare him off, she showed him her dad's house and a few of the places she used to hang out.

Then he took her to the airport. His flight wasn't much later so it worked out amazingly well. He took her in his arms and held her, "Thanks for an amazing weekend." He said with a smile. "And reminding me that I am still alive."

Melody smiled and hugged him back, "Thanks for making New York incredible. And being so supportive of me and reminding me that the real me is still here…"

He tilted her head, "Pursue your dreams now. When the baby is older, he'll be in school and you'll be tied down then. Make this work, it's your time. Be who you want to be." And then he kissed her sweetly.

"Goodbye Randy." She said as she opened her eyes.

"Bye Melody."

And the two turned and went their separate ways.

**SORRY it got so long! Please read and review!**


	42. Chapter 42

**You guys are the best! Thank you SO much!**

Randy got to the arena and put his stuff down in the locker room. The whole flight him and Melody had text back and forth about what had happened, and for now they decided it was best to just everything quiet and focus on their own marriages and families.

When John walked in Randy smiled and stood up and slapped him a high five. "What's up dude?" John asked.

"Nothin. How was Brock's bonfire?" Randy asked.

"It was great. How was New York?" John replied.

"New York was good. Hit up a club. It was hot!" Randy answered. "Let's hit up the gym."

The guys hit the gym. Neither one mentioned any of the weekends' happenings.

Melody got to England and hugged her Dad tightly. "Hi Dad!"

Jimmy smiled and held her back. "Hey Melody! It's good to see you! I've missed you."

She didn't let go right away, she just enjoyed the moment, "I've missed you too Dad."

"Alright, let's get back to the hotel and you can tell me about what you've been up to. And how long until that baby comes." Jim said patting her on the back. "Bonnie's in the parking ramp waiting for us."

Melody walked with him. "Well, baby should be here in four to five weeks. And John and I are still fighting and now he won't talk to me. And I slipped up and fucked his best friend."

Jimmy stopped in his track, "What? Did you just say you fucked his best friend?"

"Yup, when I was partying in New York before I came out here." Melody replied. "But, it's out of my system and now I'm going to focus on my marriage."

"Good God Melody. Way to screw up the marriage already." Jim said shaking his head. "I told you not to rush into anything and you guys rushed to marriage. I told you not to rush into parenthood and now you're expecting a baby when your marriage is shot to hell already. Nobody listens to the man in black who only has a cat."

Melody rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm dedicating myself back to my marriage. I love John. I'm not ready to give up just yet. We have a baby boy on the way. So, I'm still going to stand up for my dreams, but I'm going to be a little more tentative to my husband."

Jimmy shook his head as he opened the car door for Melody, "More tentative to your husband? Oh, does that mean you're going to remove your mouth from his best friend's dick before you see him next time?"

"Shut up Dad." She growled as she turned to Bonnie, "Hi Bonnie!"

"Hi Melody! God you guys have the strangest relationship." Bonnie commented.

John started bench pressing, "So, I think my marriage to Melody is over."

Randy looked startled, "What? Why? You guys are great together!"

"Because I realized that I got all hung up on the fact that I wanted to be married by now and I wasn't so I panicked and I knew that I felt very strongly for Melody and I thought it was love and I settled. Well, settling isn't wise and I am over it. I love Melody, but not enough to fake a marriage."

Randy stood up, "John, what the hell has gotten into you? I know damn well you love Melody. And she loves you. You guys have a baby on the way. You can't just up and leave now because the marriage is at a rocky point. You never lived together and have never been married before. You have to suck it up and work on this. Don't give up just because Melody wants a career of her own."

John sat up, "Fuck…I don't know. My head is in a million different places. I just feel like ever since we moved in together all we've done is fall apart."

"But yet you still decided to start adopting?"

"She arranged it! What was I going to do?" John replied. "I had told her that I wanted her to be wife and I wanted us to be a family and I wanted us to start working on having a baby and first she freaked out about it, but then she was ok. And she found the baby. So yes, it is technically my fault for putting the thought into her head."

Randy sat down and looked at John, "Dude, I've been there. Remember Christy? Remember I wasn't ready for Ellie to come along when she did? John, trust me marriage is tough. Especially when you're at the point where all you can do is try to spend the time with the kids and avoid the wife as much as possible. Where you and her have grown apart SO much that you don't even know what brought you together in the first place…All you can do is push through it and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel."

"Yeah, maybe…I'll give it some time." John said as he stood up and switched machines. He pounded out the weights.

Randy shook his head and picked out a machine and also began to really work out. He lifted heavier then he normally does. He was frustrated, plus he knew that Melody was going to work really hard at making her marriage work but yet John was ready to just give up and walk away. Randy knew damn well that if he was married to Melody he would fight like hell to make it work.

Just thinking about Melody and how amazing she was in bed was enough to start getting Randy a bit aroused so he hurried and started working out some more. He had to get himself distracted.

As John worked out, he started to think about Sophie and the kids back home. He wondered how they were doing. He wondered what was crossing her mind. He knew that they had a Skype date after the show tonight, and he couldn't wait.

After the guys were done working out, they went and grabbed some dinner and headed back to the arena to get their matches worked out.

Melody text John, "Hi honey. I just thought I'd let you know that I landed and I'm hanging out at Bonnie's with Dad. I hope you're doing well."

John looked at his phone, maybe Randy was right. Instead of just letting this be an issue and that's it, he was letting it get deeply personal and now it was affecting his marriage. And Sophie wasn't at a place where she was ready to leave her marriage and uproot the kids for them to be together, what if she was never at that place? John text her back, "I'm glad you got there safe. Tell your dad and Bonnie I said hi. All is well, Randy and I just got done working out. I'd like to talk tonight, will you be available?"

Melody got a little nervous when he said that they had worked out and he wanted to talk tonight. Did Randy tell him? She swallowed hard and text back, "No problem. Just text me when you're free and I'll hop on. Have a safe match and I can't wait to talk to you tonight. Love you."

John text back, "I'll try and love you too."

Jimmy looked over at Melody, "So…who's that your texting? Hubby or lover?"

"Enough Dad I get it, I screwed up. I don't need you throwing it in my face every five minutes." Melody retorted.

Not five minutes later her phone went off. She looked at caller id and saw that it was Adele's manager calling her back. She stood up and walked into a quieter room. When she emerged she had a big smile on her face.

"Well, my audition is Monday afternoon." Melody replied with a smile.

Jim smiled and clapped his hands. Bonnie got up and hugged her, "I think you'll do great sweetie. You have a great voice and I know that you're going to knock her dead."

"Thanks Bonnie. Thanks Dad. Now I have the weekend to practice and freak out." Melody laughed.

John got done with his match and finished showering and then he text Melody. A few minutes later he got the notification that she was on Skype.

When they got connected Melody smiled and waved, "Hi hubby!"

John smiled, seeing Melody made him smile. It was easy to say that their marriage was over when she wasn't there, but seeing her and hearing her voice made him second guess those words. "Hey honey bun!"

"Do you miss me?" Melody asked. After she said it, she knew it was a loaded question, but there was no turning back now.

"I wish you were here. I'd love to be curled up watching a movie with you." John replied. "What about you? Do you miss me?"

"I miss you like crazy. Dad's driving me nuts already." She said with a laugh. "But it's all in good fun. And you'll never guess what?"

"What's that?"

"I took Trinity and Mike out to dinner and I got to feel the baby move and kick. He's a feisty little boy." Melody said with a laugh.

"Great, he's already like his mama." John said laughing. "What did her doctor say?"

She's due in five weeks and thinking she'll go in four."

John shook his head, "Four weeks? Man that's coming up fast."

"Yeah it is. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see him and hold him." Melody said with a big smile on her face.

John nodded, "It'll be pretty incredible. Look, I wanted to talk to you because I know that I've been an ass lately, and I'm sorry. I'm working on it, I promise."

"I know that you're not happy and I know that me pursuing my career while becoming parents isn't your cup of tea. I don't ask you to be ecstatic for me, but if you could at least not hate me for it, I'd really appreciate it." Melody said solemnly.

"Deal." John felt his phone vibrate, that was Sophie telling him she was available to Skype. "Look babe, I've gotta run because Randy's waiting for me."

"Truce?"

John nodded, "Truce. Love you. Talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you too John." Melody disconnected the Skype and then it hit her. He apologized, but he still didn't ask when her second audition was. She shook her head, "Son of a bitch." She grumbled as she headed back downstairs.

Sophie smiled as John's face popped up on the computer, "Hi sweetie!"

John smiled back, "Hi love. How was your day?"

Sophie nodded, "It was good. Pretty typical. But I think Ellie's starting to cut molars, she was CRABBY today. What about yours?"

John nodded, "It was good. Once I got here I met up with Randy and we hit up the gym. Then grabbed dinner and did the show."

"Nice. Sounds like a pretty typical Thursday." Sophie replied.

"Soph, I miss you like crazy. I miss the kids too. When can I see you again?" John asked.

Sophie smiled, "I miss you too. But I don't know when. I think we need to keep tucked away for awhile. I can't have Hunter saying anything."

"You know, we could solve that by getting together and raising the kids together. We both know that we're the ones in love and that we could have the world." John started to say.

Sophie shook her head, "John, I can't uproot Hunter right now. You know how emotionally fragile he is."

"What if I move to Minnesota? He can stay in the same school, Ellie can stay in her playgroup, you can stay in your mommy circle."

"Dammit John, you know how great that sounds, but I'm not in a place to start all of that. Not yet. I've got too much to figure out." Sophie said as she shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"Babe I'm sorry. I know you're not. I just want you to know that I've been thinking about it and I've been thinking about you and I swear to you I'm never giving up." John said sitting close to the computer.

Sophie leaned in, "I know. I'm sorry. I…I need to know that I'm not just caught up in the moment of seeing you. We've always been close, we've always text and whatever, but this….I cheated on my husband John. I did exactly what I hate the most but with a man that I know I truly love. What's worse? Cheating with a random? Or cheating with someone you have feelings for? Is emotional cheating worse than physical cheating? These are the thoughts that I struggle with over and over."

John's shoulders dropped, "Sophie, I never meant to put you through this."

She nodded, "I know. We both did it to ourselves. And I know that. As odd as this sounds, I don't regret it. It showed me just what I needed to remember, what love really is all about. But I need to do things on my time. Just, can you give me what we had before all of this for now? Give me a little space and let me figure things out?"

John's heart sank, "Yeah…yeah I can do that."

"John, listen to me. Look me in the eyes. I love you. You're in my mind and on my heart. I love you. I've gotta go, tomorrow's a school day. Good night John."

John smiled, "Good night Sophie, I love you too. Kiss the kids for me."

And together they turned off Skype.

**Now everyone knows where everyone stands….what now? Please read and review!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Have I told you how fabulous you guys are? LOL! Thank you SO much for your support!**

**Two and a Half Weeks Later**

Melody was stressed out. What was supposed to be resolved between her and John was only getting worse and worse no matter what Melody tried to do.

She finished her audition with Adele and then flew to Los Angeles where she had a surprise audition with Katy Perry. Katy's tour would be a lot easier for her as far as travelling and how much she'd be on the road, but Adele was first.

After she finished up with Katy's audition then she flew back out to see John. She had surprised him out on the road but all they did was fight the whole time. Melody's eyes began to tear up as she thought about his words to her, "All you're doing is following in your mom's footsteps, don't you see that?" He shouted to her.

Seeing as how her mom was a drug-addicted, alcohol-fueled, worst mother award winner, the words were so hurtful and painful that Melody stormed out of the hotel in hot tears and never looked back. Randy had heard some of their fight because he had been in the adjoining room, but Melody wasn't responding to his texts, and John didn't even bother.

John drove back to his hotel that night like a mad man. He had received an upsetting and confusing phone call that morning and then when Melody dropped in and told him about her second audition and then another audition he just lost it. He knew he had crossed the line and said things out of anger and frustration, and he knew it was hitting below the belt but at the time he just didn't care. There were more important things going on.

Randy's marriage was not getting much better either. They were still sleeping in separate bedrooms and lately it seemed like all they did was bicker over stupid things.

The next morning Melody woke up to a text from Randy, "Shit has hit the fan at my house too. Don't worry, things will blow over. I don't know what all happened between you and John, but I'm here to listen if you need."

She sighed and text Randy back, "I don't know what to think anymore. I showed up to try and make things better. I showed up to put a smile on his face again and all that happened was screaming, crying and things got worse. I don't know what to do."

Randy leaned his head back. He wanted to tell her that John had done nothing but ponder out loud about how a divorce would work for the last two and a half weeks. He said he would work on it, but he wasn't. To him, the end was here. But he knew he couldn't. Not only because of the bonds of brotherhood, but because it would sound pretty shitty coming from the man who she had fooled around with and was having marital problems of his own. Finally he responded, "I'm so sorry Melody. I know you're doing everything you can. It shows a lot."

Melody didn't respond. She spent the rest of the day cleaning the hell out of the house and trying to figure out what was going to happen.

John got on his computer and started doing some research. He had a lot to figure out and a lot to straighten out. He looked up a few things and sent a couple texts. Then he made a couple phone calls and headed down to breakfast. He needed to get the show over and head out to the airport. He was flying home before Raw.

Melody went and spent the day with Trinity to help keep her mind off of everything. They had a pretty good time. When she got home, she poured herself a soda, and ran herself a hot bubble bath. Since she wasn't a big drinker, the hot bubble bath was her big indulgence.

Her phone rang, she saw it was Randy and decided to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hey…how are you holding up?" Randy asked carefully. "I've been thinking about you all day."

"Funny, you're the only one." She replied bitterly. "I'm so pissed off right now. John knows damn well that my mother is completely off-limits. I know my up-bringing was completely unconventional, but I don't need him comparing me to that woman. I'm NOTHING like her and I'll NEVER be like her. I'd kill myself first before I EVER put my child in harms way."

"I know you would, and I know that you told me how fucked up your childhood was. And I feel like I owe you my story. I know you know about a few things, but you don't know how I've managed to screw up my life." Randy replied. Then he began to tell her about his life story. He included the drugs, the other women, the military, everything.

When Randy finished, Melody was very surprised at how willing to be so honest he was with her. "I appreciate your honesty. Thank you."

"Melody, I feel so bad for you. You're fighting like hell to make this work." Randy started to say. "And I know you feel like you're fighting a losing battle, but you haven't lost the war. Trust me, I've been there, I know what it's like to be in a marriage that just isn't working out."

"Why do you stay?" Melody asked. "If you're marriage isn't working out, why do you stay?"

"Because if it wasn't for Sophie I'd probably be dead by now. She stayed when nobody else would have. I destroyed her trust, but yet there was still a part of her that loved me. Now, I don't think I can say that anymore…but I'm just not ready to walk away yet. I know I don't love Sophie the way I used to, but I'll always love her. Does that make sense?"

Melody nodded, "Yeah…it does. Isn't that what marriage is supposed to be about? The highs and the lows, the good, the bad and the ugly? You might not be in love anymore, but there's still love and you're not ready to just up and walk away because it's not rainbows and glitter anymore."

"Ain't that the truth?" Randy grumbled. "How's your baby boy?"

Melody smiled, "He's good, I spent the day with Trinity trying to keep my mind off of everything that happened."

They talked for a little while longer, and then Randy wished her a good night and they hung up. She got out of the tub and went to bed.

The next morning, Melody woke up and found John sitting on his side of the bed watching her. She turned on her implant and faintly smiled, "I didn't expect to see you here, you have Raw tonight."

He nodded, "Yeah I do. But we need to talk."

Melody sat up, "Look, I know things have been a little crazy and we all say things in the heat of the moment…"

John looked her in the eyes, "I want a divorce."

Melody stopped and froze. The words cut through her heart like a knife, "What?" She whispered.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm sorry Melody. I love you, and I know…"

She began shaking and tearing up, "Don't sit here and tell me that you love me when you just told me you want a divorce. What kind of bullshit is that? John, we took vows. We would love each other for better or worse…till death do us part. We have a baby on the way."

He shook his head, "You don't understand. We rushed into things and we should have listened to everyone. Besides, I messed up."

"What do you mean?" She asked between sobs. "We can get through anything, you just have to WANT to. John, this is our marriage. This is our lives. And what about our baby boy?"

"Look, I'm not walking away from any responsibility. If you still adopt him I'll be his dad. But, I have to do this. We can't keep on like this. It's just like everyone said, we're from two different worlds and we're just too different." John said sadly.

Melody broke down in sobs, "John…fuck what everyone else says. You don't get it. No one knows us but us. We've been able to make this work, this is all because I wanted to chase my dreams for a couple more years. You told me that once in a lifetime a love like ours comes along. And even though we're different, your love for me and my love for you was what would make ours last a lifetime. When your parents didn't like me, you stood up for me. You told me that you loved me in ways you never knew love."

John couldn't hold the tears back anymore, "Dammit Melody, I love you. I do love you. I…I know that I told you our love was a one of a kind. I know that I told you our love could withstand anything. I never meant to hurt you. Yes I was threatened by you wanting to continue your career. Yes, it scares me to death that you want to go out on the road so soon after our son arrives, but not because I don't want you to follow your dreams. God, I love watching you on stage. It scares me because I'm afraid you might suffer some sort of depression and have a breakdown like your mom. And I won't be there to help out. Being a first-time parent is very overwhelming and the last thing I want to do is leave you all alone thousands of miles away because I can't just walk away from my career right now. This…this whole thing has gotten out of hand and I never meant for this to happen."

Melody's sobs lightened, "John, why didn't you just say that? Had you said that to me the way you just did, I would have walked away. That is the sweetest thing, not even my dad has suggested that. I've never even had that thought cross my mind. John, I'll call and I'll cancel everything. I'll focus on being a mom and a wife. I can always do studio work or try my hand at songwriting. Our marriage and our growing family means EVERYTHING to me. Please John…if you truly love me, and you ever cared about our marriage, you'll be more than willing to give this a second chance. Let me be the loving wife and mother to our child that you deserve." She begged. "I always thought you had selfish reasons for not wanting me to be on the road, all you ever had to do was just tell me the truth."

Hearing those words made John break down in sobs, "Fuck…Sophie…you don't understand. I screwed up. I…I slept with someone else."

"What?" She whispered.

"I slept with someone else. And she told me a few days ago that she's pregnant. She's never late and when she was a couple days late, she tested and it was positive right away. She's married. But she's having my baby." John sobbed. "Not only did I fuck up our marriage, but I fucked hers up too."

Melody sat back in total shock. The fact that he had cheated also was shocking first off, he wasn't the most promiscuous person, so hearing him say that was definitely surprising…But to hear that he had gotten another woman pregnant. That's what hurt the most. "You got another woman pregnant when our son could be born any day now?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry Melody…God I'm so sorry." He cried. "Now you see why we have to get a divorce. You're not going to want to be with me. And you're not going to want anything to do with this child. Not to mention that I ruined her marriage too."

She stood up and started to walk towards the door to the bathroom, "When do you have to leave?"

"My plane takes off at 2:00pm." He replied as he tried to pull himself together.

Then she locked eyes with him, "I need to tell you something, then I think we should each take an hour to figure out what we want to do. I slept with someone else too. But I'm NOT pregnant. Go wherever you need to go, but be back here, at our bed, in one hour. And we'll talk from there."

Melody walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. John could hear her break down in gut-wrenching, heart-breaking sobs. He got up and walked downstairs. She had been with someone else too. Why? And what were they going to do now? Now that there was a baby ready to be born any day now, and a love child that would was now on their way.

John sat down in the middle of the steps and broke down crying again. What the hell had he done? And what now?

**Please read and review! Let me know what you guys are thinking!**


	44. Chapter 44

**I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am. Please read and review!**

John looked at the wall going up the stairs at all of their wedding pictures. He looked at each and every one and all of the memories came flooding back. There were even a few pictures of John and Jimmy together. One where they looked liked they were going to tie up in a wrestling match and the other one where they were hugging. John had worked his ass off to show Jimmy just how much he loved Melody and that he would be the husband she deserved.

Looking at the pictures and talking to Melody made the realization finally come to John. Of course he loved Melody. Yes there were a few things that had gotten out of hand due to bad commuication of true feelings, and falling victim to the negative people and not listening to his heart and standing up for the love he believed in.

But she had been with someone else too. When? Who? Was he deaf or hearing? Did it matter? She didn't get pregnant, and she was fighting like hell to save their marriage. He was the one that was so quick to end it all. What did that say about him?

John's thoughts were interrupted as Melody whipped open the bedroom door, her eyes were pure fire. "Did you call me Sophie?" She asked angrily.

He tried to cover up his shock, "What? Um...no...Why?"

"Yes you did! You called me Sophie. Don't lie to me. You said, "Sophie, you don't understand, I slept with someone else." She spat angrily. "You fucked Randy's wife and got her pregnant, didn't you?"

John stood up as he looked at her sadly, "Melody, I'm sorry. God I'm so sorry."

"Oh my God...I don't even know what to say." Melody said as she shook her head. "How did it happen? Did you even use protection?"

"What does it matter? What's done is done." He said as he started to walk towards her.

"Has she told Randy yet?" Melody asked.

John shook his head no. "Not yet. She wanted to tell him in person."

Melody walked to John and looked in his eyes, "I...I need to know. Is she your dream come true? Do you love her more than me?"

John stood quiet for a minute. They were so different from each other. But the funny quirks about Melody is what made John fall in love with her in the first place. And the fact that all he had to do was be honest and communicate his true feelings and concerns with her made the issues fall away made him realize that he did love her. He still loved her and never had stopped.

But before he answered Melody turned and started to walk back to their bedroom, "What does it matter? You've already made up your mind?" She mumbled.

John followed her. Without saying a word she grabbed a suitcase and opened it up and laid it on the bed.

"What are you doing?" John asked nervously.

"Well...you just told me you want a divorce because you got your mistress pregnant. And then you didn't answer me when I asked you if you loved me more thn her. So, what else am I supposed to do? You don't want to be my husband anymore, you don't love me anymore, this is your house, your cars and your stuff. All of my stuff is either in the office or in storage. So for now I'm packing up my clothes and I'll just get a hotel room while I figure out what's happening with my life. I don't want to crowd you."

John's eyes started to fill with tears again, "Melody wait. Please. I love being married to you, I hate being away from you. The last thing I want to do is divorce you."

"Then why did you say it? Why haven't you acted like it? You barely speak to me lately. We haven't been intimate." Melody replied sounding frustrated.

"You're such strong woman and I hated being the one who was moping around. I don't know. I got caught up in all of the negative and lost sight of the positives. And when you never seemed to mope, it hurt." John said sincerely.

"John, I hate being apart. I hate that right after we got married you were gone constantly. But, I'm used to it. It's part of your career and it's how I was raised. It doesn't mean I don't miss you. Hell, every night you're not by my side I lie awake thinking about you. I love you John. I love you more than anyone I've ever been with."

"But what about the guy you slept with?" John asked.

"I like him. He's fun to flirt with and yeah he's hot, but that doesn't mean I'm in love with him. I married you because I love you and I planned on being Mrs. Cena for life. I screwed up, I made a bad judgement call, but had I not made that call I wouldn't have realized just how much I love you and I don't want to lose you so I re-dedicated myself to our marriage. But none of that matters anymore. Him and I were two friends that explored the what-if and then, life went back to normal. Nothing more." Melody explained.

Listening to Melody talk so passsionately about their marriage was making John see that had he not told himself that he didn't love her anymore for so long, he'd still be happily married to her. Yeah, Sophie was the woman he always compared Melody to, but that just wasn't fair. He loved Melody for the woman she was, is and was becoming."

John broke down crying again, "God Melody, I love you. I married you because I love the woman you are. Yes I think we both got caught up in the moment and rushed into marriage, and that's probably why we've fallen apart. But I don't want to lose you. Hearing you say you love me is exactly what I needed to hear. We've overcome a lot and this might sound stupid, but I kind of miss the old Melody. The pre-cochlear implant Melody. I felt like we were closer before, like being able to hear changed everything. Yes for the good, but in a way kind of bad too."

Melody teared up and looked at John with a hopeful smile, "Really? You mean it? I miss that too. I feel like I lost a part of who I really am. And I also lost you."

They held each other close for a couple minutes without saying a word. They needed that time.

John lifted his head and sniffled, "But now what? It's not that simple. Sophie's pregnant, Randy's going to flip out that everything happened and she'll be left high and dry with three kids. I feel like I owe her something, especially since I got her pregnant."

Melody sighed, "Well, there's something I haven't told you yet. The guy I slept with...was Randy. We were drunk at a club and got caught up in the moment. Then the next morning we fooled around again, but we both realized that we wanted to work on our marriage, so we parted as friends. Randy wants things to get better with Sophie. He's trying to save it. He just doesn't know what to do."

John was surprised, but not shocked. He knew that ever since they made out, there was something there. "So you slept with Randy and I slept with Sophie? How screwed up are we?"

Melody nodded and chuckled, but then got serious. "Maybe the four of us need to sit down and talk about what happened. Clear the air, and figure everything out. You're pissed at Randy, I'm pissed at Sophie and once Randy knows, he's going to be super pissed. I'm willing to work on our marriage, but I refuse to be your yo-yo based on what Sophie decides. You either love me and want to be married to me, or you don't and we're done."

John thought about it for a minute, smirked for a second, but then returned to seriousness. "Would you turn your implant off unless it's absolutely needed?"

"What was that smirk for?"

"Because I teased the idea of an occasional wife swap just to keep things fresh." John said with a smile.

"Well, regarding the implant, I would love to. As far as the other goes, I think you should just worry about getting through all of this first." Melody said happily.

John pulled her to him and kissed her sweetly, "I love you Melody. Let's try and figure something out."

"Only on one condition though." She said she pulled back from him.

"What's that?"

"When I feel adjusted to being a mom, I want to be able to work on a tour." Melody replied. "I want to pursue my dream too."

John smiled, "Deal. Wanna come with me to Raw?"

"I think you need to talk to Sophie first. Tell her your intentions and talk to her about the situation." Melody stated firmly. "It's your guys' baby and you guys need to work something out."

John nodded. Melody walked out of the room to give them privacy.

Sophie arranged for her parents to watch the kids so she could go and talk to Randy. She was going to wait, but she couldn't. So she flew out to where Raw was and she already had his schedule. She knocked on his hotel room door.

When he opened the door, it was apparent he had just gotten out of the shower. He was wrapped in a towel, "Sophie! What are you doing here? Where are the kids?" He said surprised.

"They're with my parents. I'm here because we need to talk. Can I come in?" Sophie replied.

"Yeah, come on in. I'll get dressed." Randy said motioning her in. As she walked in, he kissed her cheek.

"What do you want to talk about?" Randy asked as she started to get dressed.

"Well, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to put it out there." Sophie said nervously. "I slept with someone else."

The words echoed through the room and stopped Randy in his tracks. "What did you say?"

The tears begn to fall, "Randy, I'm so sorry...I don't know what got into me. I had everything that you and I have lost and it felt so good and I totally got caught up in the fairy tale of it all." By this time she began sobbing, "He wanted us to be together but I wasn't ready to give up on us yet. We have such a great family together. I told him I needed to focus on us. I told him I needed some space to figure things out."

Randy was incredibly pissed, but he was keeping himself in check. He had cheated on Sophie too, and he needed to remember that. "And what did you figure out?"

"I love you and I love us. I don't know what you feel if anything for me anymore. But I want us to work things out. We've gotten through so much already. Then I go and do the very thing that almost destroyed us in the first place. I hate that so much." She said trying not to sob.

Randy wrapped his arms around her, "Soph...We've had a rough patch lately. I understand you found what seemed perfect. Someone who fit the ideal but they're not us. And they never will be. I'm pissed and I'd love to beat the shit out of them, but I'd rather focus on being us again."

Sophie broke down sobbing again, "You don't understand, I'm not done yet. I'm being punished for what I did."

"You're being way too hard on yourself. I'll find us a marriage counselor..." Randy started to say when Sophie interjected.

"I'm pregnant." She choked out.

Randy's eyes narrowed, "You're what?" He roared as he pushed away from her.

Sophie's sobs turned into choking sobs, "I'm sorry...I never meant for this to happen. I'm so sorry."

"Who's the sorry sonofabitch?" He yelled. "I'm gonna kill 'em."

Sophie cried even harder, "Randy please...your temper."

"My temper? What the fuck do you expect? You just told me that not only did you cheat on me, but you're pregnant with HIS kid. What the fuck do you expect?" Randy shouted.

Sophie's phone chimed. Randy grabbed it from her. He saw it was John Cena and his blood boiled. He answered, "Why the FUCK are you calling my wife?"

John was stunned. "Um...uh...Hey Randy. I...I must have..."

"Are you the motherfucker who knocked up my wife?" Randy interrupted John.

He didn't know how to respond. "Umm...Randy, wait..."

"You're dead. Get your ass here." Randy hollared and hung up the phone. He slammed the phone down and grabbed is wallet and keys.

"Randy, wait...please." Sophie begged as she cried.

"I need to cool down before I do something stupid and I'll regret." He growled as he walked out and let the door slam shut behind him.

***Please read and review!***


	45. Chapter 45

**Whoo! You guys are into this! Who's excited to see what's going to happen next? **

Melody waited for John to head out to the garage and then she grabbed her phone and called Randy.

He answered angrily, "If you called me from your ex-wife's phone to talk about you knocking up my wife."

"Whoa…whoa…it's just me." Melody said, "I just thought I'd call."

"I'm so fucking pissed. I'm not pissed they slept together; I mean we slept together; I can't be upset about that. What I'm pissed about is that John knocked up my wife." Randy growled. "I just want to beat the shit out of him. What happened when John came home to you?"

"I woke up to him sitting on the bed. Then he told me he wanted a divorce. We cried and talked about what was going wrong in our marriage. When he finished talking, we realized that what was wrong could be worked out. Then he broke down and told me about Sophie being pregnant. But he didn't tell me it was her. Then he messed up and called me Sophie."

"Ouch…I'm sorry." Randy replied sounding as if he was starting to calm down. "How did you take it?"

"It kills me knowing that there's another woman out there having my husband's baby. And it's not like it happened when we were separated or divorced. I told him that I had slept with someone else, but not only did I not get pregnant but I also didn't start planning on leaving my husband for the other guy. Then I told him that it was you. And he said he wasn't completely surprised, but I could see it still hurt." Melody replied. "I guess there are a lot of unsaid things between us right now. John has to leave for the airport in a little while. I told John that the four of us need to sit down and discuss the situation, together."

"I told John the next time we see him I would beat the Hell out of him. Honestly Melody, what are you feeling?" Randy asked again.

Melody sighed, "Seriously, I want to scream, I want to cry and I want to beat on his chest a little bit. It hurts me SO bad that someone else is pregnant with MY husband's child. Especially seeing as how we're adopting a baby. Not having one of our own."

"God Melody, I'm SO sorry this is all happening." Randy said quietly.

"I know, I'm sorry this is happening to you too. I feel HORRIBLE. She's your wife. He's your best friend. I know that we all fucked up and had some weird, wife-swap nightmare, but it happened. We can't change that. All we can do is move forward and hope for the best. I don't know what's going on. And I know this is eating you alive. So, now it's your turn. PLEASE tell me, how are you feeling?" Melody asked Randy.

"Honestly, I feel like screaming and beating the living shit out of John. Like I said, I can look past the fooling around. I understand that John was the type of man she wishes I was. Just like you and I. We found things in each other that we need but we don't get." Randy said calmly. "I'm just freaking out because I don't know what to do and I don't know what to say. I know damn well that when I see Sophie, she's going to want to talk about this and I don't. I want to act like it's not happening. This sounds horrible, but I would love to go back to that hotel and have her tell me that she's getting an abortion because she can't bear the thought of having another man's child, but I know damn well that's not going to happen."

Melody nodded, she knew exactly what she meant….she had thought the same thing only she was too chicken to admit it.

"How do you explain to the other kids why this baby has a different daddy even though mommy and daddy are still together?" Randy asked getting choked up. "What if she realizes that parenting with him is better than parenting with me?"

Randy broke down sobbing on the phone with Melody. It broke Melody's heart. But they were the only ones that understood exactly what they were going through.

John walked in the house and looked at Melody curiously. She signed to him that it was Randy and he was pissed first, but now he was crying.

He nodded and signed back, "We have to get ready to go to the airport."

She nodded and headed upstairs while she tried to counsel Randy. She quickly threw some clothes in a bag. When he stopped, she quickly interjected, "Randy, I'm on my way. I'm going to come with John to Raw. The four of us can sit down and figure out what we're going to do from here."

"Alright, fine. But I'm still beating the shit out of him when I see him. You can remind him of that. There's no fuckin' way I'm letting him off the hook." And Randy hung up on her.

Melody sighed and hung up her phone. She ran downstairs with her bag. "Ok, let's go."

"You haven't been very angry. Are you ok?" John asked as he grabbed his stuff.

"No. But I don't have the luxury of blowing up right now. Unfortunately I have to be the level-headed one." Melody said in a frustrated tone. "There's a lot of things that are going left unsaid. Like the fact that I'm really pissed off that you were so quick to give up on our marriage and just walk away leaving me behind for the woman you had an affair on me with because she wound up pregnant. Or the fact that we have a baby coming in approximately three weeks and had we divorced there would have went our baby. Trinity and Mike have a strict two-parent household rule. But yet, you didn't even act like you thought about that at all."

John reached over and squeezed her hand, "You're absolutely right to be completely pissed off at me. I did everything in my power that could have ruined our marriage. And I am so blessed to have you as my wife and for giving me a second chance."

Melody just nodded. She wasn't in the talking mood. She knew that arriving at the arena was going to prove to be tumultuous. Between Randy's temper and Sophie and John's baby and everything else it was going to be tough.

The flight there was a quiet one. John and Melody didn't do a lot of talking, a little bit of signing, but both of them had their mind on other things.

John and Melody arrived at the arena and no sooner than them walking in did Randy's vicious eyes lock with John's. Soon Randy was storming through everyone to get to John.

John braced himself and sure enough Randy pounced on him and started pummeling him. John fought back as much as he could just to protect himself. Randy punched with all his might and John was punching right back at him along with trying to kick or knee him as much as possible.

Other superstars and referees and backstage personnel pulled the two apart. Sophie and Melody were both yelling for Randy to stop.

"Randy, I said I was sorry." John shouted at him.

"You're fuckin' right you're sorry you sonofabitch. And you damn well know why." Randy hollered back.

"The same can be said to you asshole." John angrily shouted.

Officials pulled them both into separate rooms. Melody and Sophie locked eyes and then looked apart. Melody went in with John and Sophie went in with Randy.

Finally John and Melody walked into the room where Randy and Sophie were sitting. Randy shot John a killer look, "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Obviously the same thing you were thinking." John shouted back at him.

"I didn't get anyone pregnant fuckwad." Randy shouted. "Now what the hell do I tell my kids when they ask why this baby has a different dad?"

Sophie was crying and John and Randy were busy shouting at each other and shoving each other. Finally Melody stood up on a chair and screamed. Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"OK! Now we're getting somewhere. Can we please sit and talk like adults? Look, we all know what happened. John slept with Sophie and she wound up pregnant and Randy and I slept together." Melody said but Sophie interrupted.

"Wait a minute….Randy, you what?" She asked in shock. "You slept with Melody?"

Randy nodded, "Yeah I did. I didn't say anything because I was busy thinking about the fact that you're having another man's baby."

"ANYWAYS! You guys can fight that out later. Right now we have two marriages and four kids to think about." Melody said interjecting. "Look, John and I talked, and no matter what you guys choose to do, we are going to work on saving our marriage."

Sophie looked over at Randy and back to Melody, "We haven't had that talk yet."

Randy looked at Sophie, "I can look past the sex. I did it too. But what do we say about the baby? How do we tell the kids that the baby has a different daddy if we're still together?"

Sophie shrugged her shoulders sadly, "I…I don't know. I don't know what to say."

"Which is why I originally said that for all intensive purposes I figured Sophie and I needed to be together. It was the only way for the kids to fully understand without having to completely know the whole thing." John replied quietly. "I know I love Melody and I know that you guys love each other. But I just really can't think of any other way."

Melody got up and stormed out of the room.

***What do you thnk? What will work? Is John right? Will him and Sophie being together be the only way to properly tie the two families together? What about Melody's feelings? Or Randy's feelings? What about what Melody said, if they're not a two-parent household then no baby from Trinity? PLEASE read and review!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Thank you for the entertaining reviews! LOVE them!**

Melody stormed into another empty room and grabbed the metal folding chair and threw it across the room as she sank to the floor crying. How much more could she take?

John heard the sound of the chair and followed it to where he found her, "Melody…why did you storm off like that?"

"WHY? You HONESTLY don't know?" Melody stood up angrily as she broke down. "MAYBE because I'm tired of being the only one who wants this marriage to work, or MAYBE because you don't seem to think about the heart-to-heart we had RIGHT before we flew here? Or, MAYBE because you're STILL not thinking about OUR child…only the one you have coming with HER. Seriously, I don't know how to read you anymore. Am I fighting for nothing?" She leaned her head on John's chest and sobbed.

"Melody, just stop." John said as he rubbed her arms, "You cut me off in there. I wasn't done with my thought process. STOP assuming."

Melody shoved him backwards, "Don't give me that. You said I know I love Melody and you love each other, but I just really can't think of any other way this will work. TELL me how I'm supposed to interpret that."

"You should have let me finish. You just said that I said I love you." John fired back angrily, "I'm trying to figure this out. Melody, I don't know what more you want from me."

Melody looked at him dumbfounded, and then threw her hands up, "You know what? I don't know any more either." And she stormed past him.

"Melody…wait." John called after her.

"There you are!" One of the backstage assistants said grabbing his arm, "We've been looking for you. We're behind schedule, you need to shoot your promo."

John sighed angrily, but his hands were tied. He didn't mean it to sound the way it did…did he? She cut him off. All he was trying to say was he didn't know of any other ways off the top of his head that things would work. He nodded to the assistant and walked with her.

**MEANWHILE…**

Randy and Sophie were left behind in the room after Melody and John left. Neither knew what to say. Finally he sighed as he looked over at her, "How did we get here?"

Sophie shook her head, "I don't know. I ask myself that all the time. New baby stress mixed with newlywed stress mixed with stepkid stress mixed with being gone a lot is the only thing I can come up with."

Randy nodded, "Yeah. We've been through a lot of shit in our relationship. The drugs, the women, rehab, new baby, marriage."

Sophie cut him off, "I think we both know that this has been over for awhile now. And I also think we would both rather split amicably and still be friends for the sake of the kids."

Randy looked surprised. He stood up and began to pace, "Does it have to over? Does it have to end like this? Can't we at least try?"

Sophie looked up at him as tears trickled down her cheeks, "I've thought about this for the last couple days. And I think we both know that the minute I start showing, you'll never look at me the same, and you'll never be able to look at this baby the same. This is for the best Randy."

Randy nodded sadly, "We have a lot to figure out."

"I know. But I don't want to drag this out. We need to figure it out and just do it. Otherwise it'll be too confusing for the kids." Sophie said as she stood up with him.

"I think we should tell Hunter right away." Randy said getting choked up. "He's so sensitive."

Sophie squeezed his hand, "We'll fly home tomorrow. Then we'll talk to him after school."

Randy hugged her tightly and together they apologized and cried on each other's shoulders.

Melody had stormed out of the arena and just continued to walk away. She needed a long walk to help her clear her mind and try to figure out what just happened.

About an hour later her phone buzzed. She saw it was a text from Mike. "Trinity was in a car accident and now she's in the hospital with contractions and low back pain. Are you home? This might be the beginning."

Melody's eyes welled up with tears, she didn't even know if she still had a husband, and now Trinity might be in labor. She text back, "No I'm at Raw with John. I'll be flying home shortly, keep me posted and I'll be on my way. Otherwise is she ok?"

Mike replied, "Yeah she's ok otherwise. But she's a little freaked out."

Melody ran back to the arena as fast as she could. By the time she got back there John was in the ring. She looked around frantically for Randy. But when she found him, he was working out his match with his opponent. She began to head to the master board so she could see how long until his match was over.

"Melody…there you are. Can we talk for a minute? Please?" Sophie asked.

Melody sighed and rolled her eyes, "You know, now is really not a good time for me."

"We have to talk. I know that everything is in shambles right now. But we both did the same thing. I just want you to know that John loves YOU. He wants to be your husband. He wants you guys to work things out. I know that this child complicates everything, but in some kind of weird way of looking at it, had the baby not come along, no one would have ever said anything and you guys probably would have wound up separating over your career aspirations. But instead everyone was forced to confess the infidelities and talk about the issues with our relationships."

Melody took a few steps towards her, "Look, you believe what you want. He compared me to you constantly. I was never as good at being a wife as you were. When we talked earlier today, we had a great heart-to-heart talk and we were going to start over and then we get back here and the minute he sees you, we're right back to square one."

Sophie looked sad, "I'm so sorry this happened Melody. I just thought you should know that I told Randy I want a divorce. We'll never recover from this. It's just not fair to continue on like this. Whether you and John stay together or not, my decision doesn't change. And I wish you guys the best."

Melody hugged Sophie, "I'm really sorry about what happened also. I'm not innocent either. Does John know what you've decided?"

Sophie nodded, "Yeah, we told him after we came to our conclusion."

They heard John's music hit. Melody looked back to Sophie with a frantic expression, "Look, I've gotta run. Trinity is in labor, but if John doesn't want to be married anymore, then Trinity has to find a new family for the baby. But, we'll finish our talk later." And she ran off.

When John spotted Melody, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hated leaving things on such a bad note. But, Melody hadn't allowed herself to meltdown over the whole ordeal, maybe she needed that outburst. He walked up to her and signed, "_I'm glad you came back. I'm sorry_."

"Look, things are so crazy right now and I know I flipped out and maybe I did jump to conclusions a bit, but bear with me. I need to know right here and right now…without a shadow of a doubt…when you listen to your heart, what does it say?" Melody asked mercifully. "What does your heart want?"

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! **


	47. Chapter 47

John looked at Melody astonished, "Melody…" Then he signed, "_Can you give me a minute? I just got out of the ring and…_"

Melody shook her head and signed, "_NO, this is something you should just know. I can't be jerked around like this. One minute it's me and the next it's her. I feel like I'm your fallback and I hate feeling like that. I need to know for my own sanity. _" She was purposely leaving out the fact that Trinity was in labor because she didn't want John to make any decisions based on feeling pressured.

John sighed and signed, "_Honestly, I need some time. I love you, you're my wife and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But to be totally honest, A part of my heart still loves Sophie and she's having my baby. Once we move to Minnesota, we'll be spending a lot of time together and I feel that the only way I can be fair is to take a few days away from both of you and clear my head so I can follow my heart_."

Melody didn't know how to take it. Part of her felt like he just slapped her in the face, and the other part could see where he was coming from. But, she didn't have that luxury. Trinity was in labor…what was she going to say to her? Did he just say "move to Minnesota?" Was it fair of her to lie and say her and John were fine but he had to work? They might be, but they might not be? And…was this a sign that Melody should just walk away now and save herself any extra pain? Walk away from John and the baby?

"_Fine. Do what you need to do and I'll do what I need to do_." Melody signed back and turned to walk away. It killed her that John hadn't referenced the baby with Trinity at all in his statement. It was like their baby didn't matter because he would be adopted. She knew John wasn't like that, but it's just how she felt.

John hung his head, he couldn't seem to do anything right. He knew he loved Melody, he knew they had a lot riding on this…but he knew that he'll always have Sophie in his heart. Now with the baby him and Sophie's love had created, he planned on moving to Minnesota to be closer to Sophie and the kids, would Melody be able to handle that? If Sophie was sick again like she was with Ellie, John would be there a LOT. Sophie had slipped into a coma after having Ellie, what if that happened again, only this time she didn't make it? God he had a lot to figure out. He knew what he was going to do. He was headed home to be with his family and figure out what to do.

Melody stomped angrily, she had to tell John Trinity was in labor. It was the right thing to do. Even if he didn't care anymore. She turned and stomped back to John. A few wrestlers were talking to John now; they always gave him shit for signing. "John?" She said softly.

He looked up instantly at the sound of her voice. "Yeah?"

"Can I have a minute?"

The other wrestlers nodded and scattered. John walked towards her, "What's up?"

Melody took a deep breath, "I know this is the last thing on your mind, but I don't want to be the bitch who didn't tell you. Trinity was in a car accident and now she might be in labor. Mike text me when you were in the ring. That's why I demanded your answer. I'm flying down there to be with them. And I'm going to tell them that we're separated and they can make their decision from there."

"Oh my God, she's in labor? But she's early? Is she ok?" John asked.

"I guess so, Mike said she's ok. And she's only a few weeks early so I'm pretty sure the baby will be ok, but there's no way to know until he's here." Melody replied.

He took her hand and rubbed the top of it with his thumb, "I'd really like to be there with you."

"BUT…" Melody replied with a huff.

He shook his head, "No buts. I want to be there with you. It's not his fault everything has gotten so screwed up." He said sincerely. Then he got a nervous look on his face, "All of his stuff is at the house. We have to stop there and grab it. We made up the bag, and you always have your camera. What about the car seat?"

Melody giggled, "Relax…he won't be coming home right after she delivers so we don't need the car seat. The bag is a good idea though."

"Let's go!" John said frantically. "I'll grab my bag. Our other stuff is in the rental."

Melody laughed as he ran down the hall to the locker room. She felt good that she told him the truth. But she still didn't want him to make his decision based on the baby's arrival. They'd have to have that talk. God how she was tired of talks….

John ran back to her, "Let's go!"

They hurried to the airport. The ride to the airport was chatty. But once they got settled on the plane, then they got quiet.

John looked out the window, what the hell was he doing? Melody was his WIFE. Not a girlfriend, not a fling, but his WIFE. Sophie had been Randy's wife. He truly loved Melody. They had a really great relationship when he wasn't letting his mind run out of control with stupid thoughts. He needed to learn to communicate his feelings and then they wouldn't have the problems that they had. Yes she cheated also, but here she was, bending over backwards to save their marriage. Granted, she wasn't pregnant with someone else's baby…would he be able to be so forgiving had she been? She was willing to go to counseling and be step-mom to this child…would he? Didn't that say something about her dedication to this marriage? Would Sophie ever be like that? Well…she kind of did. Randy cheated on her before, but she never had to deal with another child. If John was to cheat and get someone else pregnant, would Sophie stay? NO…she'd walk away. Melody was such an incredible woman…why was he only in a rush to stay with her when she's just about out the door forever? He has pushed her till she was about to break…then he opens up and shows her how he feels? Why does he do that?

Melody sat there lost in thought. Should she wait for John to make his decision? Should she just cut her losses and move on with rebuilding her life? She loved John…still…but he was killing her. She was going out on a limb to try and save the marriage, was it worth saving? If it could even be saved? And if he wanted to move to Minnesota…would she be able to handle him spending so much time with Sophie? Would there always be a question of his faithfulness? She thought about emailing her dad, but would he give her advice or give her shit about sleeping with Randy? Maybe John wasn't meant to be her forever…but was there someone out there meant to be? There were so many what ifs and maybes that Melody's head felt like it was spinning out of control. Part of her felt like telling John she was done trying and just disappear…but the other half of her felt like she owed the marriage one last chance. She closed her eyes trying to hide the tears…what was she to do?

**Baby's coming…Both John and Melody have a million things running through their minds…give me your opinion, I love to read them! PLEASE read and review!**


	48. Chapter 48

**I hope everyone had a great weekend! Sorry this took awhile, but I went back and forth and started and scrapped this many times. BUT…I think that this is the way…**

As they announced for everyone to return their seats to the upright position and to buckle their seatbelts, Melody looked over at John…he looked so tormented. Melody had run so many scenarios through her head. She lightly put her hand on his, "I want you to go and be with Sophie."

John looked at her shocked, "What? Melody, wait."

Melody held up her hand, and with tears in her eyes, she made eye contact with him, "John, please. I know that you don't know if you're sure not. But I am. I'm a big enough woman to admit that I will be jealous and nervous and I'll be filled with so much self-doubt and I'm just not willing to do that. She's having your child…your biological child…you've always compared me to her…now you can finally be with her."

John nodded sadly, "I'm really sorry things turned out this way Melody. I know we promised forever, and we didn't even make it a year."

Melody nodded and soon they were both hugging and crying. They discussed a few things about Trinity and once they got off the plane, they hugged, said their goodbyes and each went their separate ways.

Melody walked out to the ramp and got into her car and drove to the hospital. It was time to tell Trinity and Mike the truth…it was time to face the music.

When Melody arrived at the hospital, she found Trinity's room and took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever done…even harder than being the one to officially end their marriage.

She opened the door and there was poor Trinity, all sweaty and grunting in pain as she was obviously pushing. Mike looked up and smiled, "_I'm so glad you made it_." He signed.

Melody's eyes filled with tears as she smiled, "Thanks, me too." Melody greeted Trinity's parents. She looked at Mike and signed, "_Are your parents coming_?"

Mike shook his head no, "_No, they didn't think they could handle seeing him and then never seeing him again." _

She went and squeezed Trinity's hand. Then signed, "_Are you doing ok?_"

Trinity nodded, "_Yeah, but I'm so tired_."

And then another contraction hit. And together they were counting and tapping and breathing. After three more pushes, the sound of a screaming baby filled the room. The doctor held up the baby, "It's a boy!" He called out.

Melody broke into tears as did Trinity and Mike. Melody took pictures as the nurses worked on the baby as the doctor finished up with Trinity. Soon the nurses waved to show them that the baby weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. Then they wrapped him up in a blanket and handed him over to Melody, "Here he is!"

Melody held him and got teary-eyed all over again. He was so tiny and so precious. He seemed to snuggle right into her and she felt like the bond was beginning.

Trinity hugged Mike and cried a little into his shoulder. She was happy that he was going to such a wonderful home, but she was so physically exhausted from the accident and labor and it was a really weird feeling that they would be leaving without a baby in her tummy.

Trinity's parents came over and hugged her. Soon the three of them were signing like crazy. Finally Trinity's parents looked over at Melody and signed, "_Congratulations on your beautiful son. He's your little blessing._"

The nurses had the interpreter say to Melody, "It's time for them to take the baby to the nursery for the stand testing and cleaning. They're going to finish getting Trinity cleaned up and then she'll be moved to her room for overnight. Does he have a name?"

She shook her head and signed, "Not quite yet." And then she handed the baby over to the nurses. One nurse came and put a wristband onto Melody and then left with the baby and the other nurses.

Melody looked at Trinity and Mike, and began to sign, "_I'm so sorry to have to do this, but I really need to talk to you guys. It's about John and I._"

The three of them signed about the impending divorce. And then they began to talk about the baby and what was going to happen next.

Melody walked out of the room with her head down. She rubbed her forehead and tried not to cry. She walked past the nursery window to say goodbye to the baby, but he wasn't in the window. So she didn't even get to do that.

Trinity and Mike had asked for the night to figure things out. Trinity's parents stayed to help them figure out their decision.

As she pulled into the driveway of her soon to be ex-home, her phone began to vibrate. It was a text from Randy. She didn't even read it. She just put her phone back into her purse. It was time for her to start fresh. No matter what happened with Trinity's decision. Right now, she just wanted to be separated from both John and Randy. It was time for Melody.

Once she was inside the house, she walked through the empty, lonely house and then finally had her meltdown. She dropped to her knees sobbing…every part of her world was shattering at the same time. Now what was she going to do? Melody pulled out her phone and dialed…"Daddy? I need you."

After a two-hour venting session, Melody hung up feeling a little better. Jimmy had helped her regain her composure. She went to bed thinking about new baby names since the last one included part of John's name and now that was no longer needed. Just in case Trinity decided in her favor.

Melody awoke and looked at her phone. She had 3 missed calls from John, 6 missed calls from Randy, 8 texts also from Randy, and one call from a number she didn't recognize.

She got up and took a quick shower, got dressed and just in case, she put the diaper bag and carseat into the trunk. Then she headed to the hospital. Once again it was time to face the music. She never did read the texts for listen to the voicemails.

Melody pulled into the parking ramp and headed inside. When she arrived at Trinity's room, she found Trinity and Mike, Trinity's parents and Mike's parents there waiting for her.

"_Come on in, we need to clear up a few things_." Trinity signed with a straight face.

Melody nodded and closed the door behind her.

**One Week Later**

Melody awoke suddenly. She had been so incredibly busy in the last week. Jimmy had hired movers and they helped her pack and get all of her stuff together so she could be out of the house as quickly as possible.

Now it was just a matter of figuring out where to go next. And what to do with her life from here.

She still hadn't spoken to John or Randy. She had told John to respect her and give her some space, and he did. She never read a single text from Randy, didn't watch wrestling, and didn't even go online.

But lately she was beginning to feel a little lonely. And to be perfectly honest, she did miss Randy a little bit also. The way they used to flirt and tease and how could Melody forget the way that she felt when he looked at her. She knew that Randy was going through hell and maybe it was really selfish that she didn't return his texts and calls.

Melody shook her head and looked at the clock. She had to leave by 7:30 a.m. and it was already 6:30a.m. So she hurried and hopped into the shower.

By the time she got out, the doorbell was ringing and the lights were flashing. "Who in the hell is here?" She pondered out loud.

When she opened the door, her jaw dropped in shock… "What are you doing here?" She asked.

***WELL….what are your thoughts? I'm so excited! Please read and review! The rest will be up tomorrow! I'm just too tired to keep going tonight. THANK YOU!***


	49. Chapter 49

**Talk about difficult! I thought last chapter was hard. I have two versions of this chapter, but I feel like this is the one to go with. I hope you enjoy! Please read and review!**

"Hi Melody." John said softly. "I'm sorry to drop by but you haven't returned my calls or my texts. Can I come in?"

Melody nodded and opened the door, which showed she was wrapped in only a towel, "It's your house, I can't stop you. Sorry about the towel, I just got out of the shower."

John closed the door behind him. "I want to talk to you. Did you listen to my voicemails? Did you read my texts?"

Melody shook her head no, "No, I've had a crazy and rough week. I got home from the airport and turned my phone off and tossed it in the bottom of my purse and haven't looked at it since. I bought a new phone so I wasn't on your plan anymore so I've been using that one. I'm sorry but I have to get dressed, you can talk to me upstairs."

John followed her up the stairs, "So, may I ask what happened with Trinity? I've been texting you like crazy."

Melody turned around and shot him a look, "I'm sorry, I wasn't ready to deal with reality quite yet. And why are you here?"

John sat down on the edge of the bed, "Melody, I did what you told me to do. I waited for a few hours for the next plane to Minnesota and off I flew. Halfway there I broke down in tears, I didn't want to give up on our marriage. I love you. I wanted us to work it out. I did so many things wrong and I was so unfair to you. I remembered you saying you couldn't handle me being at Sophie's all the time, but I thought maybe that was something we could work on. I didn't have my head on straight. I thought about our baby and our family and I couldn't figure out how the hell I lost sight of what's really important. I began calling and texting you like crazy because I wanted you to hear me out and maybe by the grace of God you would consider letting me come home and learn how to be a good husband. I got to Minnesota and headed to Sophie and Randy's house so I could talk to Sophie. Randy and I fought and then the three of us sat down and talked. It was a really good and brutally honest talk. And I confessed my love for you and that I couldn't picture myself without you. Then Sophie was honest with me and told me that on their way home from Raw, she got her period. Which meant she miscarried."

Melody looked at John sadly, "I'm really sorry John."

"Thanks, but it's ok. We talked about that too. Everything happens for a reason. Then I left to fly back here and I was still calling and texting you. I had to wait forever for a flight, then on our way here we got re-routed to Atlanta. By the time I finally got to Florida, I had to fly out for our house show because we had the extra shows. But, now here I am. The man you married, begging you to please, PLEASE don't give up on me just yet. I want to be your husband and I want you to be my wife. I want us to be a family. FOREVER family." John said sincerely.

Melody looked at John with tears streaming down her cheeks, "John, I love you. I didn't marry you on a whim, I married you because I loved that you were different than any of the guys I've ever dated. I loved that you loved me whether I was deaf, or if I had the cochlear on and was able to hear. We had a lot in common and yet we were different enough to keep it interesting. When you and I had our big heart-to-heart, we both bonded over part of us missing the deaf me. You cared enough to learn ASL and about deaf culture. You outfitted the house with all of my deaf stuff, even before I moved in. Who would do that? After everything that has happened between us, the only reason I walked away was because I couldn't bear to be the one to deny a child having their dad in their life full-time. And I didn't know how well I could be sitting at home while you were at Sophie's with your biological child." Then Melody swallowed hard. Her head screamed no, but her heart said yes. They had made a vow, and they both broke it…could they recover? This is what marital vows were all about, she nodded her head yes "But, there's a lot we have to talk about…a lot to discuss. And there's something very important that I need to show you."

She took his hand and walked him over to the bassinet that had been in the bedroom, only this time there was a tiny, little, beautiful baby boy peacefully asleep. "Meet our son. Anthony James Michael Cena. He was 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 19 inches long."

John gasped and tears filled his eyes, "Oh my God he's so perfect." He reached in and stroked his fingers. "What was the birth like? I'm so sorry I missed it."

Melody held his hand and told him Trinity's birth story. She also explained how she went back and both sets of parents were there along with Trinity and Mike and they all talked about it and they agreed that the baby was destined to be hers. Then she looked John in the eyes, "I need to know that this is seriously what you want. Do you seriously feel that you want to be in this marriage? And are you ready to be AJ's daddy?"

John held Melody close, "This is the only thing I want. I want us to be a family. I want us to be married forever." Then he leaned in and kissed her lovingly. "Can I hold him?"

Melody nodded, "Yeah, we're going to be late, so go ahead. He's been sleeping since four. I've gotta finish getting dressed."

As Melody got dressed, she watched John lift AJ out of the bassinet. He held him close and lightly bounced with him. He took his finger and lightly stroked the baby's cheeks and the baby wrapped his little fingers tightly around John's finger. John's eyes filled with tears. Melody smiled. "You look like a natural." She said with a smile. "Can I take some pictures?"

John nodded. Melody grabbed out her phone and began to snap pictures. Then she also grabbed the regular camera. John laid down on the bed and laid the baby down on his chest and he lightly rubbed his back.

"Ok, we've gotta go. Are you coming? We need to talk about a lot of things." Melody replied. "Can you bring the baby?"

"I sure can." John said with a smile.

He walked down the stairs and Melody showed him where the car seat was. Melody grabbed the diaper bag and they got all buckled in and headed to the airport.

Melody looked over at John, "There's something you need to know about AJ."

"What's that?"

"He's deaf. And I know that your parents weren't overly pleased about that, and I know that they weren't overly fond of me either. So if you need an out, this is it." Melody confessed.

John turned in his seat, "Are you kidding me? I'm never turning my back on our family ever again."

Melody squeezed his hand, "I appreciate your dedication. Let's start talking about the future. I already have all of my stuff packed and boxed and taken to a storage locker."

"By the way, where are we going?"

"To pick up my Dad from the airport so he can meet his grandson and help his daughter weather the divorce she's going through. Then when we get to the airport, you'll be subjected to the same hell as me. Dad will run his mouth and belittle us and our marriage and then we'll go from there. Hopefully this doesn't go too horribly." Melody said nervously.

"Gee…that sounds great." John replied sarcastically. "Well, we just need to get your stuff back and get re-settled."

"Minnesota?" John asked. "Why Minnesota?"

"Because in Faribault Minnesota has a really great deaf school, and I was going to call and see if you still wanted the daddy position or not. And to be totally honest, I was feeling really depressed after losing you and I was trying to figure out if I should just shack up with Randy or not."

John laughed, "I wondered if you were ignoring me because you were with him now."

They both laughed and squeezed hands. "Well, why don't we forget about the rental house, buy a house there and that's where we'll rebuild our lives. And when Randy and Sophie and I talked, we discussed how great it would be if we could all become friends again." John suggested.

Melody shot John a look, "I know that I slept with Randy and you slept with Sophie…the same weekend…But do you really think now is the time to talk about the four of us hanging out? Are they still together? Is the only reason you want to get back together with me is because you knew Sophie lost the baby and her and Randy were staying together?"

"What? No. Wait. Sophie and Randy are living separately and are working slowly towards rebuilding their marriage. Melody, I wanted us to be together long before I even knew about everything. I told you, I love you and I love our family. This is right where I need to be."

They pulled into the airport and Melody leaned over to John, "Kiss me."

John kissed her sweetly.

Melody pulled back and smiled, "Yes I'm going to have random breakdowns like that, can you promise to always chill me out?" And then she turned off her cochlear implant since they were now on airport grounds.

"_I promise_." John signed. "_Now let's go find your father_."

Melody and John got the car seat out. Baby AJ was just starting to wake up. They held hands as John carried the seat through the crowds. Here they were…finally…the Cena family.

**We've all gotten to know Jimmy's mouth by now…what is he going to say about this? Is Melody doing the right thing by trusting John? Has he learned his lesson? PLEASE read and review!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Happy Monday everyone! Thank you for reviewing!**

John took a deep breath as he spotted Jimmy in the crowd. He knew this was going to be rough. Especially when he watched the expression on Jimmy's face go from a smile to a confused angry look on his face.

He felt Melody tense up a little bit. He knew it was his fault. He was just a bit nervous about what all Jimmy would have to say about the whole ordeal.

The minute Jimmy could set his bag down, him and Melody were signing furiously to each other. But, the minute the baby started crying, they both stopped and turned their attention to the baby.

"Dad, meet Anthony James Michael Cena…in the flesh." Melody said thankful for the distraction.

Jimmy smiled once he saw the baby. "Wow, he is really tiny. Congratulations you guys…now we just need to get home and have a big talk."

They both nodded as they walked through the airport. Once they left the airport, Melody was able to turn her cochlear back on. John had climbed in the backseat to calm the baby down and let Jim sit up front.

The ride home was kind of quiet. Jimmy looked over at Melody, "Did you get all of the paperwork signed and faxed back for the house? What about making calls to the deaf school?"

Melody nodded, "Yup, I did all of that right away. Once we get to Minnesota, then I can contact the school and go from there. There's not much that we can do until he's older, but there's definitely some good information. John mentioned that we could buy out the contract and just turn around and buy our own house up there. "

Jim shot Melody a look. What was wrong with these kids?

The minute they all walked into the house Jimmy couldn't hold back anymore. "What the hell is wrong with you guys? I don't even know where to begin!" He said angrily. "Make the baby a bottle and come sit down."

Melody walked into the kitchen while John sat down with the baby. Jimmy looked at John, "When you and Melody started dating, do you remember what I told you? What about when you guys got married?"

John nodded, "Don't fuck up."

"Exactly!" He replied.

Melody handed John a burp rag and a bottle, "After 2 ounces, burp him. He's a big eater, but you have to pace him or he'll spit up all over."

John nodded as Melody sat down on the couch.

Jimmy began to pace the floor in front of them sternly. "Now just what the hell is going on with you guys? Have either of you looked back on your relationship? Or do you put on blinders and just keep pushing ahead while straying off course? You guys have had more ups and downs then a roller coaster at a damn Six Flags!"

He turned his attention to John, "First, you. Are you done getting your dick wet with every woman from your past? Jesus first it was Liz, the jealous ex-fiance who yes in your defense drugged you, but you still sat and text her all the time, went out with her, put yourself in a bad position with her and then told her all about your relationship problems and how your family hated Melody. And don't get me started with your best friend's wife, the woman who you wish Melody was more like. Can you focus on your wife and learn to appreciate her for the woman she is?"

John hung his head and nodded, "Yes Jim. All of that is done and over with."

"You need to think long and hard about what you really want not just with Melody, but out of life and ponder if you'll get to have of that with Melody or without her. And I'm not saying to go out and USE your something long and hard. Think with your brain and your heart…not just your dick." Jim continued.

Then he turned his sights to Melody, "And you. Just because you got an earful in England doesn't mean I'm done. What the fuck is your story? Now I know damn well you have a better head on your shoulders than this. What's the deal with this Randy guy? Both times you've screwed up it's been with him. Have you thought about that? Have you wondered if it's a sign of some sort? Now yes he's been married and apparently neither one of you guys care about that when it comes to members of that marriage, but seriously! If you want this marriage to work, then keep your mouth and your coochie OFF his dick. You're supposed to be married to John, can you focus on your husband and appreciate him for the man he is?"

Melody nodded and grumbled, "Yes dad."

Jimmy continued pacing, "You guys NEED to realize that even though you like each other and you love each other, sometimes LOVE isn't enough. There's much more to it. You have to WANT to be with each other, you have to NEED to be together AND love each other too. But you also need to remember that you guys took vows. They're not just something you think about when you want to, they're there ALWAYS. As should your love for each other. You guys have overcome a helluva lot, but maybe things haven't truly been overcome, but just merely pushed aside for convenience purposes. There just might be people out there that you guys don't have to change a thing about yourselves and find the love and happiness you guys deserve. Can you trust your hearts enough to dedicate the rest of your lives to each other and ONLY each other for as long as you both shall live? You guys need to figure your shit out pretty damn quick because now Anthony is here and he needs stability in his home life." He pointed to Melody, "And you should know that."

Melody nodded.

"I know you guys love each other, and yes you guys regret your actions…but do you truly? Do you think that the minute you both profess how much you think you love each other magically makes everything ok? Can you truly forgive, forget and move on? What about everytime you guys see Randy and his wife? Will the feelings that you may or may not allow yourself to feel drive you crazy? I think you guys need a real break. Not just a couple days, but an honest break from one another. See what it's like to live your lives without each other and see if they're better or worse. Hell, Melody, you're moving to a house in Minnesota so in the instance John and whatsherface did get together, he could still see baby AJ and so Randy could be close to his kids. Doesn't that say something? The two of you need to QUIT rushing your decisions. You guys NEED to figure out if the two of you CAN be happily ever or not now so you can be civil and friendly for Anthony in the long run. I say Melody finish your move to Minnesota. John, put your house back together or do whatever you need to do to see what your life is like without Melody as a constant. Obviously you have a child together, so you'll still have some contact, and you'll have to figure out visitation somehow if you don't get back together. But…that's just me." And he turned and walked outside.

Both Melody and John sat there stone silent. All you could hear was AJ's grunts and gurgles as he ate. Suddenly Melody looked over at John, "How much as he eaten?"

"Um, I'm not sure." John pulled the bottle out and saw that he had eaten almost 4 ounces. "Crap buddy, slow down."

Sure enough, John turned him on to his stomach on his shoulder and a couple of pats later, Anthony spit up a TON of fluid and began to scream.

Melody jumped up and grabbed the baby so John could take his shirt off and so she could clean him up. "I warned you." She said with a slight giggle.

"Well I'm sorry, I was a little preoccupied." He replied in a frustrated tone.

She turned and looked at him, "I meant that teasingly. Relax. Trust me, he spits up all the time. Just not usually that much if you catch him early. Plus it helps cut down on his discomfort."

John shook his head and walked off.

Melody rubbed and patted the baby's back as he stormed off, "Maybe we do need a break." She whispered.

Jimmy walked in and found Melody standing in the kitchen burping Anthony. "SO…do you hate me yet?"

Melody looked over at him, "No…but you did make me think a little bit."

"Where's John?"

"We bickered and he stormed upstairs." Melody said as she rolled her eyes.

Jimmy stood so he could see the stairs and signed to Melody, "_What are you thinking?" _

"_I'm thinking I need to go and talk to John." _She text back.

"Let me sit down and I'll take baby. Are you calling him Anthony or AJ?" Jimmy asked.

Melody giggled, "Dad, he's deaf. You can call him Anthony, AJ, or Tony. He won't hear you. But I've stuck with AJ and Anthony. I haven't used Tony much. But I haven't given him a name sign yet. I need to see his personality more."

She handed the baby over and Jimmy snuggled him close. "Hey AJ. It's me Grandpa…remember the weird guy from the computer screen?" He said close to his ear. "I love you little guy."

Melody pulled out her camera and took some pictures and then headed upstairs.

***How was the talk? What do you think will happen when she goes upstairs? Please read and review! And remember, she hasn't read her text messages she's missed yet. Have a great night!***


	51. Chapter 51

**I wasn't too sure where I wanted to go with this chapter. But I hope you guys like it. PLEASE read and review and let me know what you're thinking. Please! Thanks!**

Melody walked upstairs and found John laying on the bed texting. He looked up and slid his phone into his shirt pocket. "Hey."

Melody sat down on the edge of the bed, "Hey." She said softly.

Melody looked at him, "Have you…ever looked back on our relationship?"

John took a deep breath, "Honestly…I hadn't until I spent the weekend with Sophie. On my way there was when I really thought about us. That's when I realized that we've worked so hard at making this work and not fighting."

Melody's eyes filled with tears, "This isn't how a marriage should be. You know that and I know that. I think we both know that we've had to try too hard."

John shot her a look, "Dammit, I want to make this work."

Melody looked at him sternly, "Did you hear yourself? You want to MAKE this work? I'm tired of MAKING things happen." She stood up and walked towards the bedroom door, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning, I think we need the break."

John stood up angrily and grabbed her elbow and turned her around, "So it's like that? After everything, you're just running away from our problems?"

Melody took her arm back from him, "I'm doing what I should have stuck with. Do you realize that I wanted a break after our big fight about Meat's shows and you showed up on my birthday with a romantic apology and then you proposed to me. What did I do? I came running. I forgave and rushed everything. Then we fought and fought and fought. We gave each other the silent treatment, went for days without talking. I don't know what you did, but I spent the nights crying. Then you showed up wanting a divorce and a heart-to-heart talk later and you changed your mind…but you still called me Sophie. Then you saw her backstage and suddenly you changed your mind again. You change your mind more than politicians! I promise you, I don't blame you. This is something we've both screwed up. And I have to put the brakes on. You showed up today and I came running again…but how long will it be before you change your mind again…but how long will it be before you change your mind again? Love doesn't just turn on and off like a switch. It should be a constant force and it should last forever. You can be angry…but the love doesn't go away. I…I just don't feel like your heart is here anymore, and to be totally honest, I don't know that mine is either."

John shook his head angrily, "So you want a break? Fine." And he stormed back to the bedroom.

Melody fought back the tears as she rushed downstairs. She got the baby from her dad and gave him the keys to her good ol' Mustang. He took off quietly so they could have a little more privacy.

John emerged from the bedroom and found her sitting on the floor changing the baby's diaper. "You know…everything was fine until your dad came in and got into your head."

Melody looked up, "Don't bring my dad into this. All he did was give you a gut-check reality minute about who you really are. And you're just pissed because I'm not doing what YOU want me to do."

John shook his head, "Look, we're married now. There is no such thing as a break. If I walk out that door, our marriage is over."

Melody got up off the floor and picked up the baby and soothingly rubbed his back as she looked sadly at John, "Then I guess this is it."

"And what about the baby? What happened with the adoption?" John asked as he started to calm down.

"Well, it's not final for a few months. But that's up to you." She said quietly. "Look, if you want to go, just go. I don't want anything, I'm a big girl. And I won't hold it against you. I can change his last name to Steinman when I change mine back."

John reached out and picked the baby up from her and held him close, "I can't just walk away. He was supposed to be our son. We were supposed to be a family. I can't just leave you guys all alone and high and dry."

"John, I have a savings, and I have a few job offers pending. Don't worry about us." Melody started to say when John interrupted.

"I don't want him growing up without a dad. I can't imagine my life without mine, and I know that your dream for him was to have the ultimate family life. A mom and a dad who loved him very, very much and would always be there for him."

Melody nodded, "I understand that, but I want you to be able to move on and have the life you've always dreamed of. Why don't you take some time to think about it?"

"Because I pushed him aside too much already." John began to argue.

"But I want you to really think about this. Please."

"Alright, fine. But I already know my answer." John said handing him back over to Melody.

"I know what you want out of life, and being a Sunday dad isn't one of them." Melody said as she took AJ back from him. "Really think about this and let me get us settled."

John reluctantly nodded, "Alright, fine. I'll think about it. Even though I already know my answer."

"Don't rush anything." Melody said as she walked him to the door.

John kissed AJ on the top of the head and then gently kissed Melody on the cheek. "Goodbye Melody."

"I'll leave everything on the table and I'll put the key in the garage on your bench tomorrow morning." Melody said as she shifted the baby's weight. "Goodbye John."

Melody shut the door behind him and walked the baby upstairs so she could lay him down for a nap. She couldn't bear to watch John leave. So much had happened and now it was over in a blink of an eye.

Jimmy got back about a half hour later and found Melody wrapped in a blanket sitting on the couch. "How are you?"

Melody shrugged, "We're getting divorced. I told him I wanted a break and he told me we're married, if we're taking a break then it's over. So I told him then it's over."

"Oh Melody, I'm sorry." Jimmy said.

"Do you think you could run out and grab dinner from that Chinese restaurant that I showed you last time? I need some comfort food."

Jimmy nodded, "Sure sweetie. No problem." And he kissed her forehead and grabbed her keys and left.

Melody got up to go and get plates and everything ready when her doorbell flashers began to go off. She sighed, "What part of go away and let me get shit settled doesn't he understand?" She grumbled as she went to go answer the door. Technically it was his house, so if he forgot something, he had the right to come back and get it. But she just didn't want to see his face right now.

She grabbed the door and as she opened it, she said, "What now?" Then she stopped in her tracks.

***Who was at the door? Are they making the right decision in going ahead with the divorce? What about baby AJ? Please read and review! We're nearing the end of the story! Thanks!***


	52. Chapter 52

Melody was face-to-face with Sophie. She took a deep breath, "John's not here. I'm not sure wherehe went, you can text him."

"Thanks, but I'm not here for John. I'm here to talk to you." Sophie replied. "May I come in?"

Melody tried hard not to roll her eyes. She was feeling so emotionally drained, not to mention physically tired from trying to adjust to having a baby who woke up every 2-3 hours, she just wasn't in the mood for anything right now. And seeing her only made the reality of the situation that much more real. But she nodded and opened the door wide enough.

Sophie walked in, "Wow, nice place!"

Melody nodded, "Thanks. So, why did you come all the way to Florida? Where are the kids?"

"They're with Randy at the hotel. We're on our way to Disney. But, I wanted to talk to you." She said

sitting down." The boys got to fight out their issues, and they'll be ok in time. But we've never been

able to talk."

Melody nodded. She was dreading this. "Look Sophie, I'm so sorry about what happened between Randy and I. I can't totally blame the alcohol, but it was definitely a factor. I didn't mean for it to happen. But I swear to you, him and I talked and he loves you. His family is with you. And he was SO determined to turn your marriage around. And he knew that I was working really hard for my marriage to John to work. And we left that morning as just friends."

Sophie smiled a slight smile, "Randy told me the same thing. And I believe him. But, actually I'm here to apologize to you. I'm so sorry about what happened between John and I. I have had feelings for John for a very long time, and with Randy and I growing distant, instead of working on us, I wound up acting on what I felt...and going against everything I stand for. I don't know. Call it a mid-life crisis, call it whatever, but it was so wrong. I am SO sorry. And when I found out I was pregnant I didn't know what to do. But I knew Randy would know it wasn't his because there wasn't a chance so I told the truth. Then I lost the baby and...I don't know. Maybe it was a wake-up call that I needed to get my life back on track. I turned into a home wrecker and God I'm so mad at myself. Melody, I am so sorry. But I'm here to tell you that Randy and I are working on it. We're living separate just to give ourselves some space and some time, but we're going to try. Not just for the kids, but for us too."

Melody smiled, "That's really great, I'm happy for you guys. And I'm sorry about the baby."

The front door burst open and Jimmy came walking in carrying bags of Chinese food. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?"

"Dad, do you remember Sophie?"

Jimmy tried not to look to surprised, "I do vaguely from Vegas. It's nice to see you again."

"Thanks, you too." Sophie replied. She turned to Melody, "I thought I'd let you know that if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I've been down this road before, and I'm going through it too."

Melody shook her head no, "I appreciate that, but I can't vent to you about this. Besides, my story has

a different ending then yours."

Sophie looked at her confused. Then the faint sounds of a baby crying came across the monitor. Melody

glanced over to the end table and saw the lights. "Excuse me please."

When she came back downstairs she was carrying little AJ. Sophie smiled a huge smile, "Oh my goodness! You guys were able to still adopt him! Could I hold him?"

Melody was a little taken aback. When she had gone upstairs and found John texting, she assumed it was to Sophie. Now she felt a little dumb for jumping to conclusions. "Umm...yeah, sure. I have to make him a bottle." And she passed him over. "His name is Anthony James Michael but you can call him AJ."

When Melody walked into the kitchen Jimmy waved his hand to catch her attention. "_What is she doing here?_" He signed.

She shrugged and signed back, "_She came to talk to me about everything. We apologized to each other. Her and Randy are taking the kids to Disney and working on their marriage. We're just about done_."

Melody walked back out shaking up a bottle. Sophie smiled, "I bet John is totally in love with him."

Melody nodded, "Yeah, he's getting pretty attached. But I told him that with everything going on, that if he wanted to walk away then this is his chance. AJ wouldn't know the difference at this point."

Sophie looked up quickly, "What? What do you mean?"

"We're not working things out. I'm moving out tomorrow."

"No! You guys can't not work things out!" Sophie exclaimed loudly. Then she stopped and looked down at AJ, "Whoa, I didn't scare him."

Melody chuckled, "He's deaf. That's why he didn't get startled."

"You don't understand Melody, John loves you." Sophie started to argue.

Melody held her hand up, "This isn't up for discussion. I love John so much, he showed me a love that I never knew existed. But on the flip side of that, I also got to know pain that I've never felt before too. And I just don't feel like his heart is totally in this. And my heart is so confused right now."

Sophie nodded, "Sorry, I just...I'm really sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. But I should get him fed so I can eat dinner." Melody said as she reached out for the baby.

Sophie gave him back and then hugged Melody, "I'm so sorry Melody. Thanks for letting me stop by and say my peace."

Melody nodded, "No problem."

Sophie made her exit and Melody sat down in the rocker with the baby and began feeding him.

That night was a horrible night for Melody. AJ was fussy and didn't want to burp and didn't want to sleep. Plus all she could do when he was sleeping was toss and turn as the memory of her and John's fight played through her head.

Finally at 4:30 in the morning she got out of bed and quietly walked downstairs. She sat down on the floor by the bookcase and took out their wedding album. They had made two of them since she stayed at her dad's for her recovery and she wanted to have one. So when she packed all of her stuff she left his behind.

As she paged through, the tears streamed down her cheeks. It had been such a happy day. They were surrounded by their family and friends. The two looked at each other as if there was no one else in the world and the love in their eyes said volumes about the love they had for each other.

She couldn't even begin to describe how hard all of last week had been. But Melody knew how to tuck it away and hide it well. She'd always had to. Disappointment was something she learned to deal with as she grew up, but this...this was hard. Lying to John and telling him that she didn't know if her heart was still in the relationship had been hard. But she couldn't handle having her heart shattered again in case he did change his mind again. So if she played bad cop and ended it now, it would save the heartache later when AJ was older.

And AJ...precious baby AJ was another chapter to the story. All last week she fought the urge to send John a million pictures of every little thing the baby did. She wanted John to listen to his heart, not be guilt tripped into something because of the baby. But seeing him with the baby, feeding him, holding him, kissing him had been SUCH a proud moment for her. But to be fair, she gave him the out. It was only right.

Finally she closed the album and put it back. Then she went and curled up with a blanket on the papasan chair and cried herself to sleep.

**MEANWHILE**

John had gone to a local hotel that wasn't too far from his house. He beat himself up all night long. How could he have let things get to this point? How did they wind up discussing divorce? Why did he let his anger speak and tell her it's all or nothing?

And sweet baby Anthony...little AJ. The little man of the house. The baby they were so excited to have and begin their family with. And now here they were...with no family left.

A divorce was the last thing he wanted. When he went to the house, everything he had said was true. It was all spoken from the heart. But everything Jimmy had said was the truth. And maybe some distance would be good but to John, maybe it was the distance that tore them apart. He had been gone so much after they patched things up and rushed to the altar that they never got the chance to build their foundation. They had never even had the chance to live together. Everything was brand new and so much change in such a short time is what he felt caused the problems. He never even took time off for her surgery.

What did that tell her? Nor had he been very supportive in her own hopes and dreams. He had just expected her to be of his.

John called his dad and spent three hours talking to him and crying over the phone about everything that had happened. He didn't hide anything; he didn't sugarcoat anything, just total honesty.

That night he tossed and turned all night long. He wondered how many times Anthony woke up. How much did he heat? What about diapers? But most of all, he pictured Melody and the baby without him in the picture. He couldn't let that happen...he just couldn't.

But how could he get Melody to see that? Divorce was not the solution. He didn't want to walk away from their marriage or their son. All he wanted was for them to be a family. He remembered how Melody joked that she was moving to Minnesota because if he had wound up with Sophie then she'd shack up with Randy…did she mean it? She had told him there were no lingering feelings, but was there?

John looked over at the clock and saw it was 4:30am. He sat on the edge of the hotel bed holding his cell phone. God he wanted to call her and hear her voice and apologize profusely and promise to go to counseling and anything and everything she wanted or needed him to do so they could save their marriage. But he knew that it was the middle of the night, she would have her implant off and wouldn't hear the phone, let alone be able to talk on the phone. But he could call her on the TTD machine that he had bitched about so much. But what if he woke up Jimmy? What did Jimmy think about all of this? He knew how he felt prior to the divorce talk, but what about now? He had talked to his own dad and his dad really helped to set him straight. His dad had apologized for how closed-minded they had always been and how they hadn't really given him the support he needed. And how they would be more than happy to welcome Melody and the baby into the family with open arms. His dad also stressed how much his mom and him would love to meet the baby, hopefully soon.

John punched the bed. God he was so frustrated. He wanted to be with them. Not here in a hotel room all alone. He had a few ideas floating through his head about what to do, but he had to be really careful not to push too hard.

Still frustrated John got up and threw on a pair of shorts and headed down to the workout room in the hotel. He needed to work out some stress.

**PLEASE read and review! Thanks!**


	53. Chapter 53

**I am SO sorry this update is so late! I had horrible computer problems. But all is fixed! Thanks for being patient! Please read and review!**

Melody awoke to the monitor going off. She could feel it vibrating on her hip. She got up and stretched and headed upstairs to tend to the baby.

Jimmy walked out of his room, "Hey, did you sleep at alI?"

Melody nodded, "Yeah. Why?"

"Because you look like shit." He said as he squeezed her shoulder.

"Thanks Dad, I love you too."

Jimmy shook his head and walked downstairs.

A short time later, Melody came downstairs dressed with her hair pulled up in the messiest bun Jimmy had ever seen her wear, and AJ was wearing a super cute blue and white football onesie.

"Wow, one of those mornings, huh?" Jimmy teased.

"I have my cochlear on now, I can hear you make fun of me." She replied sticking her tongue out. "AJ is ready to begin his big moving day. What time are you taking off with the truck?"

"As soon as I finish my breakfast. I want to get there and get all of your stuff hooked up before you guys arrive. Are you sure you'll be safe driving with him alone?" Jimmy asked.

"Yes Dad, I'll be just fine. If he gets hungry, I'll pull off somewhere to feed him and burp him and then we'll continue on our way. I'll check in with you and all will be well." Melody replied setting AJ in his bouncy chair. "I only have a few things to take apart and get put in the car so you can put them in the truck for me. I don't want to haul furniture, just him and our last minute stuff."

"Alright well let's get it packed up so we can head out. I want to get there as soon as possible." Jimmy said. He started working on taking apart the bassinet and the bouncy chair as Melody made AJ his morning bottle.

They finally got everything taken apart and loaded into the car. Melody drove Jimmy to the storage facility where they had a truck parked with all of her stuff loaded into the back of it already. Jimmy had a few guys come out and do that a few days ago. She hugged him and thanked him and he reached into the back seat and gently rubbed AJ's hair. "See you soon sport."

Melody got back into the car and headed back to the house. As the baby slept she quickly ran through the house and packed up her last minute things. Then she emptied out her purse and started laying everything of John's on the table. The credit cards, the household check book, the extra keys to his cars, the garage door opener, and then she was down to the two most important things of all; her wedding ring and the key to the house.

She sighed as the tears fell when she looked down at her left hand. This was it. The only time she had ever taken it off was for her surgery.

As soon as Melody began to slide it off of her hand the front door opened. "Melody? Melody are you here?" John called out frantically.

She got up from the table, "John! I'm…I'm sorry I'm not gone yet. I'm running late." She said trying to hide the tears. "I was just leaving everything on the table."

John wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lovingly, "If you can honestly tell me that there was nothing there with that kiss then I'll let you go. But if you can't, then I need you to hear me out."

She looked at him skeptically, "Keep talking."

"Look, I've been up on and off all night thinking. And I know you wanted space and a break but I think that would be the worst thing we could have right now. That's all we've ever known is space. We need to be together. Together is going to be what saves our marriage. And I argued with myself about letting you go and having this talk with you in Minnesota, but I can't let you get that far away without hearing me out first. I don't want a divorce, I think that's the worst idea ever and I want the word erased from our vocabularies. It's time for me to make some changes. Starting right now. If you want to move to Minnesota, fine. But I'm coming with you. And if you want me to do some research and find the best deaf school in Florida, then I'll do it. If you want to move back to New York or L.A. then I'll do that. And, I'm late because I was on a very long call with Vince. As of Raw taping, I'm done wrestling for a month."

Melody looked at him shocked, "Wait a minute. You what? You quit?"

"Well, it's a hiatus. We're going to play it off as a storyline. But I need to focus on you and our son right now. I want you and our son to come to Boston with me for the show and to introduce him to my side of the family. "

Melody didn't know what to say. She was still in shock. "First off, I've already established medical care for him in Minnesota. He has a ton of appointments coming up so we'd have to rearrange his appointments or be back by Thursday. Second, he's too young to fly. Any travelling has to be done by car. Third, Did you even tell your family he's deaf? Fourth, Are you really sure about this?"

John could see she was going to keep coming up with questions so he stepped in and kissed her. "1 is ok, we'll be back by Thursday. 2 is Oh, I didn't realize that. 3 is Yes, they're well aware. And 4 is Yes I'm sure. I have an idea. And you'll have to hear me out because you might not think much of it, but just trust me."

She crossed her arms and looked confused, "Ok, I'm listening."

"Right now, we're going to road trip to Minnesota together. And our road trip is going to be us dating. When we get to Minnesota, we'll be engaged. Two weeks later, we'll be married and then the rest of the time is a family moon. Then I'll go back to work, you'll go to work or just stay at home and be mom, or if you'd want to come on the road that's ok too. But I figure, we'll cover anything and everything that we never really did. And this time around, we're going to be completely solid and no fighting and by the end of the month, we'll have this whole married and family thing figured out."

"Wow…you always have been such a future planner." She replied with a laugh. "So, what if I have to throw a wrench into your plans?"

John's face fell, "Like what?"

"I don't want to play games. I don't want to have a week of dating and a week of engagement and a week of this and that. I just want to be us. The real us. You, me and our son together as a family. My dad can go back to England since I keep interrupting his business over there, and we'll go see your family and then it'll be just us. Remember, the house in Minnesota is just a rental. We don't have to be there permanently, but I think for now it's a good idea. This way after the month we have together, if we see that it's just not going to work, we each have somewhere to go." Melody replied.

John smiled, "I can handle that too." He reached out to her and held her close, "I love you Melody. Thank you for giving us another chance."

She nodded and held him close, "I love you too."

Then AJ began to fuss a little. John smiled and went over and picked him up, "Hey baby boy! Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?"

Melody grabbed her phone and snuck outside the front door so she could call her dad in private. A short time later she finally came back into the house shaking her head. "Ok, Dad knows not to wait for me. But he still wants us to check in with him so he knows we're ok. But if you need to be in Boston, we've gotta go."

John nodded, "At least we can take turns driving." He walked into the kitchen and pointed to the table, "Don't forget all of this, you still need it."

Melody shyly smiled, "Are you sure? I can leave it here for now and we can always get it later."

"You won't need the car keys in Minnesota, but you should have the credit cards and the checkbook." John replied. "So grab those for now. Do you want to take one of the SUV's instead of your Mustang? That is what you were going to start driving now that the baby's here."

She thought about it, driving the SUV would be a lot easier, getting the baby's carseat in and out of the Mustang was a pain. But, if they didn't make it through the month, she'd have to go to Florida and swap vehicles. She looked at John, "What do you think?"

"I think we're going to get it right this time and we should take something that has room and space." John replied.

"Alright, fine." She replied as she grabbed the keys to the Navigator. "If you watch him, then I can get everything switched over."

"No prob babe." John said kissing her cheek.

Melody went outside, and smiled. She had a good feeling about this. John seemed to have a clear head, and with him taking time off maybe it was exactly what they needed.

So she switched over the car seat base and switched the stroller and the rest of the stuff she had piled in the car. Now with the Navigator, they wouldn't be so cramped.

Finally she walked back in the house, "Ok, are you ready to head to Boston?"

"I sure am. Let's roll." John replied. "When's the last time he ate?"

"We should be good for awhile. Did you happen to change his diaper?" She asked.

"Yup, just got done." John replied.

They locked up the house, got the baby settled and John got into the driver's seat. Melody took a deep breath as they left the driveway. This was really happening.

John reached over and squeezed her hand, "Are you ok?"

She smiled, "I'm better then ok. Just anxious."

He kissed her hand, "It's time to begin a new chapter in our lives. Speaking of, whatever happened with the background vocals?"

"Well, Adele is kicking off her tour overseas and then coming to the U.S. so I declined the overseas portion. So she'll contact me in a couple months. Katy Perry will be going on the road to promote her new album and once she has a schedule made up, she'll email it to me and I can let her know if I'm still interested in the position. It depends on how many dates there are. And, last but not least, Meat is going on a summer tour and Patti has a possible gig, so if I'm interested, I could just tour with him. It's a much shorter tour and a lighter travel schedule. Plus I know it's safe for a baby since Pearl and her son will be on the road with him also."

"That might be a nice advantage to have, someone else with a baby. Plus they know you and you're comfortable with all of them." John replied. "But congrats on having so many offers out there."

"Thanks, it's really exciting to think about. But, priorities change. It'll depend on how little man is. If he's a sickly baby or really healthy, if he's colicky or fussy, and it'll depend on your schedule as well."

John squeezed her hand, "We'll get it all figured out. How soon is the soonest?"

"Not for at least a month. I wanted to get settled and get used to being a mom first."

Soon they were talking about anything and everything. This was going to be a really great road trip.

**PLEASE read and review! Do you think John and Melody will be ok this time? How do you think John's family will take to the baby? Thank you!**


	54. Chapter 54

**I am SO sorry this has been so delayed. I was in a bad car accident, and I am home from the hospital now. My sister didn't feel comfortable writing this for me. SO, thank you for being loyal, and I hope you guys didn't give up on me. This chapter has been a long time coming, but I can only type so fast with this stupid cast. LOL! Thanks guys! Please read and review!**

On the way to Boston, John and Melody were able to really sit down and hash out a lot of pent up feelings and emotions that were weighing heavily on their minds.

It took a little longer than they had hoped, but they finally arrived at the arena just barely on time. John hurried off to the morning meeting and Melody put AJ in the front carrier and headed out to walk laps around the arena.

A while later, she was walking when she saw a door open and a hand reached out and motioned for her to come into the room.

She giggled and walked in figuring John was trying to be romantic. When the light flicked on, she was surprised to see Randy standing there.

"So, were you ever going to text me back or am I just chopped liver now?" Randy said with a smirk.

Melody bit her bottom lip sheepishly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you. I knew you were busy and I was lost so I poured everything I had into little man. I wasn't purposely ignoring you."

Randy reached out and hugged her then kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're in a good place. I'm very happy for you. But, no matter where we are, I will always hold a spot for you here." He said slowly as he pointed to his heart. "Don't forget that."

Melody nodded, "I'll never forget. Thanks Randy."

"Now let me see that baby." He said with a smile.

Together they walked out laughing as Randy was cuddling little AJ. John was talking to someone, but was silenced at the sight. It was the first time since the truth came out that he had really seen them together. Not only were they together, but they were close and laughing and with the baby."

Watching Randy snuggle his child made him think about what life would have been like if she wouldn't have given him another chance. Or, flip side of that, what if he would have chosen to be with Sophie and Melody wound up with Randy.

As John's mind raced, he finally snapped back to attention when Melody waved to him and signed, _"Remember, I'm with you. Him and I are only friends."_

John nodded and signed, _"I know."_

Finally Randy gave the baby back to her and walked off. Melody went to walk over to where John was, but he had turned and walked off.

Melody didn't know if he was pissed, hurt, or just needed somewhere. She was trying to not let it bother her too much, but it wasn't working. So she wandered to the catering room.

As she was in there, she visited with some of her friends. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Zack Ryder standing there. She didn't know him very well.

"Yes?"

He slowly began to fingerspell to her, "_J-o-h-n h-a-s_"

Melody smiled politely and held her hand up, "I have a cochlear, so I can hear you and I can read lips. But thank you."

Zack smiled, "Sorry. John has been looking for you. He's done with his meeting."

"Ok, thanks. Where is he?"

"I just saw him ringside talking to Michael Cole. You can go down there." He replied.

Melody picked up the baby and headed to ringside. Once she got down there, John smiled at her. "What are you guys up to?"

"Zack came up and said you were looking for us." She replied as she waved to Michael.

John looked confused then laughed and shook his head, "Yeah but that was before I found you with Randal. It was awhile ago. Are you ready for lunch? The family is just about to the restaurant."

Melody nodded, "Yup, anytime is good for me. AJ's starting to get fussy so I'm sure he's ready to eat."

Michael Cole laughed, "It's been a long time since I've heard a new baby cry. Congrats on the baby you guys."

They both smiled and said thank you. Then they grabbed the car seat and diaper bag and headed out.

Upon pulling into the parking lot let out a fierce cry. John smiled and looked at Melody, "I'll get him."

She nodded. Melody grabbed the diaper bag and they walked into the restaurant. The moment they walked inside the commotion began.

Melody stood back and watched John's dad. He was feeding the baby and he nudged John, "Son, can you sign to him that I'm his Grandpa and I love him very much?"

She smiled and tears filled her eyes. Even John's mom was playing with the baby and even though the baby didn't know what sign language even was, he signed everything that was requested.

Everyone chatted and talked about all sorts of different things. John and Melody held hands and enjoyed visiting with everyone.

After lunch, the siblings began to leave. They would all be back for Raw. Soon it was just John's parents left.

John's mom was holding the baby when she looked across the table at the two of them. "Now, what's going on with the two of you? Are you together or what?"

John and Melody looked at each other, their eyes met and they both smiled a bit. Just as John was about to speak, Melody's cell phone rang.

"I'm so sorry." She said feeling horrible that it disturbed the conversation. When she flipped it over to silence it, she saw that it was Adele. Not her manager, but her personal phone. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

John shot her a dirty look as she answered the phone, "Now?"

Melody held up her hand as she answered, "Hello? This is. No, it's ok, I don't have my TTY on me. I'm out with my husband's family. Yup, Meet and Greet with the baby. Uh-huh…oh…WOW. Really? That's great."

John watched her intently as she spoke. He still had no idea who it was.

"Umm…well, sure! I'd be really honored. No, thank you. I appreciate your consideration. Sure, just email it to me. Alright, Thanks. Bye!" Melody hung up the phone and looked at everyone, "I'm performing at the Grammy awards with Adele!"

Everyone smiled and clapped and John hugged her, "Wow babe that's great! Congrats!"

His mom cleared her throat, "That's really great, congrats. But, about you guys. You guys have to figure this stuff out now. You guys have a baby boy to worry about now, it's not just the two of you. And it's not just a regular baby, but he's handicapped."

"I'm sorry, but he's not handicapped…he's deaf." Melody piped up.

John reached over and patted her knee, "She didn't mean it like that.

John's dad sat up, "You're right, he's not handicapped. But, you know first hand that being deaf impacts your life forever. And the last thing he needs is his parents being on-again, off-again. For his sake, you guys have to get your shit together."

Melody was trying not to let her temper get the best of her. John nodded his head, "And that's exactly what we're doing. I took the month off so we can have a full month together."

"But Melody is now going to be taking off and performing and there's more time that you won't be together." His mom added sternly. "That's not prioritizing."

John squeezed Melody's knee, he didn't want her going off, "Mom, it's one night. We will travel together and then head home together. It's not like we're both going our separate ways. We will put our family first from here on out. This month is all about us figuring out who we are and what we need to do to keep our family together and happy."

John's dad nodded, "I think that one little performance is great because then John can see it from Melody's side. Instead of Melody having to pack up with the baby and follow you around, now you get to be on the other side."

John agreed, "That's right. Now it's my turn to see what she does. And I think I owe it to her. Plus, it'll give me some really great bonding time with little dude."

They finally gave hugs and kisses goodbye and went their separate ways until the Raw taping. Once they were in the car, Melody looked at John, "Your mother called our son handicapped."

He looked over at her, "Babe, relax. She wasn't trying to insult him, she was just trying to play mom and be in our business a bit."

"John, you don't get it. Calling our son handicapped because he's deaf is insulting!"

"You're right Melody, it is. But she didn't mean it the way it came out." John said kissing her on the cheek.

**AFTER RAW**

John's family all met him backstage and greeted him. This was a big thing for John. He hadn't taken time off completely in very long time. Even when he was injured he still found ways to work for the company. Now he would have a full month off to focus solely on his family.

After the excitement died down, John, Melody and the baby headed to the hotel. They were staying at a hotel just to give them some space from his parents.

Melody came out of the bathroom and put her cochlear in its case. She crawled into bed with John. "Mmm….I love you John. I know that this is a really big thing for you to do for us, and I want you to know that I really appreciate it."

He smiled and kissed her, then he signed as he spoke, "_I love you. And I know you do. I'm just really excited to be able to do this._"

She nuzzled noses with him, "Are you upset that I agreed to perform at the Grammy's?"

"God no! I'm really excited for you! This is a HUGE opportunity." He replied.

"So you're not feeling like I'm a bitch since you took time off and now I'm working?" She asked.

He shook his head no, "I am happy for you. It fits in between doctor appointments, it's only one week and I think it'll be a great opportunity."

"Thanks John." Melody replied hugging him close. "And, I have to tell you, when you were signing things to the baby for your family it was really sweet of you."

"I have a really sweet idea." He said holding her close as he began to kiss her neck. "What if we reconnect as husband and wife tonight?"

She smiled and turned his head towards her so she could see what he was saying, "Now what was that?"

He leaned in and kissed her passionately, "I think we should reconnect as husband and wife tonight."

She smiled and kissed him back, "Mmm….connect away."

And the two made love that night more passionate than they had in a long time.

**Please read and review! How do you think the next month will go?**


	55. Chapter 55

**Thank you for all of the love and support! I appreciate the well wishes! I apologize for the delay! Please read and review! **

John and Melody spent the next day with John's family. They were falling in love with little AJ and were trying hard to get along better with Melody. John's dad and Melody were doing pretty good, but John's mom just wasn't budging much.

Finally it was time to head to Minnesota so AJ would be there in time for his doctor's appointment. John drove first this time.

John reached over and patted Melody's knee, "Don't you think that went much better this time around?"

Melody nodded, "Sure…if you don't count how many times I caught your mom whispering to you about us considering a cochlear for AJ."

"Give her some time, she's coming around. And look at how great you and Dad hit it off now!" John said reassuringly.

Melody grabbed her iPod and plugged it in. She put on "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele and began to tap her foot. "John, do you think that I'll do ok at the show? I'm so nervous."

"Babe, you're going to do great. You kill it on stage with Meat, why are you so nervous this time around? AJ is going to love seeing his mommy up there singin' her little heart out on stage." John replied.

"Being on stage with Meat is SO different. I've known those songs my whole life and he knows what my deafness is like."

"But you're not deaf anymore. You got a cochlear, now you just have hearing loss. AJ is deaf, what did you say, he has severe hearing loss? That's deaf. You passed the auditions, she likes what you bring to the table. Think positively, you're going to do great." John said kissing her hand.

The drive home was pretty good. They had some really great conversations about what the month would be like with him being out of the ring and actually home.

They arrived at the house in Minnesota, and Jimmy had done a really great job with getting the house equipped with everything and all of the boxes in the correct rooms. They got right to work on getting everything settled.

The only thing that wasn't fully settled was the fact that Randy was still texting Melody. That was something she wasn't telling John.

For the next two weeks they were in and out of doctor's appointments for AJ and getting him fitted for his first set of hearing aids. Now it was time for Melody to head out to California for rehearsals with Adele and her band.

John was having Melody fly out there and he would drive with AJ out there in time for the show and then they could all drive back to Minnesota together. The month off was flying by a lot faster than they had counted on.

Melody looked at John as she snuggled AJ, "I don't know if I can do this. What if AJ misses me? What if you get upset because he has a colic streak? What if my cochlear freaks out onstage and I sing off-key?"

John walked over to her and kissed her sweetly, "Babe, you're worrying way too much. AJ and I will do just fine. And your cochlear isn't going to freak out. You're going do great. Let's get going or you're going to miss your flight."

Melody nodded and buckled AJ in his car seat. John grabbed her luggage and they all headed to the airport.

Once they arrived at the airport John got out of the car and lovingly kissed Melody. "I love you, and I can't wait to see you on Sunday."

She smiled and nodded, "I love you too. Take care of yourselves and give AJ extra love and kisses for me."

"I will. Don't worry about anything, just focus on your show."

She opened the back door and kissed the sleeping baby. Then she grabbed her luggage and kissed John one more time and headed inside the airport as John pulled away.

As she waited for her boarding call her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at it. Sure enough, there was a text from Randy. She wasn't sure if she should respond or not. Things were going good between her and John, but….there was just something about Randy that she couldn't shake from her mind. Was she being stupid? Should she wash her hands completely of Randy and focus on making her marriage work? OR was this a sign that it was time to just let it go and move on?

**PLEASE read and review! What are you guys thinking? The story is just about done, and I have two different ways this could go. THANKS! Lots of updates on all of the stories this week, hubby and kids are gone for the week!**


	56. Chapter 56

**Thank you for the great reviews! **KimmieCena, thank you SO much for your message! You made me smile! I'm glad you're enjoying the stories! Please read and review!**

Melody got off the plane and found a spot to sit down at the coffee shop. She had thought about her marriage on the plane and found the answer to her problem. She knew damn well that she loved John, and she wanted their marriage to work. She made the commitment and she wasn't going to give up easily.

She grabbed her phone and called Randy. After a couple rings he finally answered. Before he could say anything she interjected, "Don't say a word. You need to listen to me carefully. I only have a few minutes. Now you know damn well that I was dedicating myself to my marriage when John said he was taking a month off to work on us. You and I were one time and only one time. We had agreed on that and you were fine with that, so now why are you texting me? I'm sorry Randy, but I'm John's wife and that's how it's going to be."

Randy nodded as he listened, "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't have any right trying to interfere with your marriage. I'm sorry, from here on out I will respect you and your marriage."

"Thanks Randy…I appreciate it. I like you and I don't want to lose your friendship."

"No problem, delete the texts and I'll leave you alone. Good luck at your show, I'll be watching." Randy replied.

"Thanks Randy, and I already have. Good night Randy." And Melody hung up the phone. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Then she text John to let him know that she had landed and would call him from the hotel.

When Melody arrived at the hotel, she checked into her room and called Adele to check in. Adele invited her down to her room for a couple drinks and to get to know the other girls.

**MEANWHILE…**

John loaded AJ into the Navigator and smiled. "Alright little dude…are you ready to go see Mama at the big award show? Let's head out."

AJ watched John intently. John smiled at him, it was weird to see him in his little baby hearing aids. He couldn't help but wonder if he could actually hear him or not.

They drove off and headed to California. John couldn't wait to see Melody. He felt as if they were newlyweds again…plus one little one. He really felt like taking the month off to dedicate his time to their marriage. It had been a long time since he had felt this proud.

Melody headed back to her room and found her cell phone was blinking. When she grabbed it, she saw a text. It was from her dad. He wanted her to call him as soon as she could.

She grabbed the phone and called him. Jimmy never slept, so it was ok. Jimmy answered, "Hey, do you have a minute?"

"Yeah Dad, what's going on?"

"Are you in California yet? Meat was wondering if you could stop over and see him. He wants to talk business." Jimmy replied.

"Ok, well I'm in rehearsals for the Grammy's with Adele, but I'll see what I can do." Melody replied shaking her head. "Why didn't he call me?"

"He didn't want to bother you."

"Gotcha. Well, I'm going to let you go. I was hanging out with the girls and I'm exhausted." Melody said as she yawned.

"How's my grandson and your marriage? Are you keeping your pants on with his friends and on the floor with your husband's?" Jimmy asked with a laugh.

"Ha Ha funny Dad…And yes, John and I are doing great, Randy means nothing to me and AJ is doing wonderful. He was outfitted with his hearing aids and is trying them out this week." Melody replied.

"That's great. Send me pictures. I'll be watching the show. I'm trying to finish up here."

Melody talked to him for a few more minutes and then hung up. She crawled into bed and fell right asleep.

Saturday afternoon John and AJ arrived in California. They got into the arena and wandered into the rehearsal space. He could hear Melody belting out, "You're gonna wish you…never had met me." He smiled and snuggled AJ a little closer, "There's mama."

They quietly walked and found a place to sit. John put AJ on his lap and sat back to watch Melody work her magic.

When the song was over, John stood up and began to clap. Adele turned around and squealed, "Ooooh….there's a baby here! We should have gotten him some ear protection, I feel awful. Let me see the little guy."

Melody smiled and waved, "Adele, he's deaf...it's ok."

Adele picked AJ up and cuddled him and then shook John's hand and introduced herself. Melody went to John and greeted him with a big hug and kiss. "I've missed you." She whispered into his ear.

"I missed you too babe." John said kissing her one more time.

John looked at Adele, "You sounded great. Do you think you're ready for tomorrow?"

Adele nodded, "I do. I have a great group of girls and they harmonize beautifully. Thank you for sharing your son with me."


	57. Chapter 57

**THANK YOU SO MUCH for being here by my side. I really appreciate you guys being so wonderful. I promise, I will be updating and completing my stories on a regular basis now. Thanks again, please read and review!**

The big day had arrived. It was time for the Grammy's. Adele had all of the girls get their hair and make-up done together and then they went to final rehearsal and now it was time to walk the red carpet with John. Normally back-up singers don't walk the red carpet, but with John being who he is, they wanted them out there.

Meat's daughter Pearl had offered to babysit AJ so John could attend. Pearl was bringing her son and AJ over to Meat's house and they were going to have their own Grammy party.

Out on the red carpet the two were photographed together and then pulled in separate directions for different sets of questions.

One reporter leaned into John, "So John, did you ever think your deaf wife would be performing here?"

Without hesitation John smiled and replied, "Yeah I did. Even before she had her cochlear implant, she has always blown me away with her talent. But I mean, come on. When you're Jim Steinman's daughter and you grow up surrounded by music, how do you NOT have endless talent?"

After a few more questions, he signed a few fan autographs then walked into the building.

Meanwhile, Pearl and Meat about spit out their drinks as they listed to John's response, "WHAT the hell did he just do?" Meat said to Pearl.

"He just caused a shitstorm." Pearl replied as she shook her head. "Jimmy is going to explode."

John sat down and waited for Melody to arrive. Melody had been backstage talking to Adele when her cell vibrated. She looked at it and her eyes opened wide, "Would you please excuse me?"

Melody stormed out to John's seat. John smiled as she arrived, "Hey babe, did you get everything worked out?"

"What in the HELL were you thinking?" She hissed at him. "You just told a reporter who my dad is."

"What? No I didn't, I answered a few questions." John started to argue, but Melody interrupted him.

"Yeah you did. It was on live tv. Pearl and Meat just text me about it. Now when Dad finds out, it's really going to suck. And it's going to suck for me. John, what were you thinking?"

Reality set in and John put his hand over his mouth, "Aw shit…I didn't even think about it. I'm so so sorry."

Melody stood up, "Yeah? I hope so. This is going to screw everything up. Dad is VERY private, and I've always kept his identity a secret, and professionally I don't use his name because of the Meat connection. Especially because of the Paradise stuff. How can I make out with Meat when Jimmy is my father and the world knows it?

"Oh my God Melody, I'm SO sorry. I didn't even think about it. I just answered the question honestly. I swear to you that I didn't try." John replied sincerely. He felt just awful.

"I know that you don't agree with me keeping his identity secret. You never have, but I didn't think I had to worry about you going public with it." Melody hissed as she walked off. "I've gotta go." She grumbled. She had to go and begin damage control and call her dad.

After she finally got off the phone, the show was about to start so she hurried back out to her seat. When Melody sat down, John tried to lean over and talk to her, but she ignored him. Her Dad was super pissed and now that she the news of her being Jim Steinman's daughter was making rounds around the internet, Meat had decided it would be best if she didn't go out on tour with him this time around. Too much drama and scandal possibilities.

And the thing that was bothering her the most…AJ's biological parents Trinity and Mike had text her that they wanted to come and see AJ. That scared the hell out of her because they weren't out of the 60 day window that Florida had in place where biological parents could change their mind and take their child back. But she didn't want to bring it up with John until after her performance.

John let Melody have her space as they watched the show. When Melody got up to head backstage, John grabbed her arm, "_Melody, I am sorry. I love you. Good luck out there_." He signed.

She smiled and kissed him, "_Thanks, I'm sorry that I'm so mad. Dad is pissed and I'm really stressed out. I love you too._" She signed back and then hustled off.

The performance was amazing! Adele made her triumphant return and received a standing ovation. Melody looked great up there. The camera even shot to a very proud John in the audience smiling and standing and applauding.

When Melody finally got back to her seat, John squeezed her hand and kissed her sweetly. "_Great job! You sounded great up there!_" He signed so he wouldn't disturb anybody.

Melody smiled and signed, "_Thanks. We need to talk before we go to the after party_."

"_Ok_." He signed back and hand in hand they enjoyed the rest of the show.

Once the show was over, they got into the limo and John looked at Melody, "_Ok, what do we need to talk about?_" He asked as he signed.

Melody sighed, "I got a text from Trinity…they want to come and see the baby."

"OK? They want to see the baby and?"

"We are still in the 60 days. What if they've changed their minds? I'm scared John." Melody confessed with tears in her eyes.

John held her close and closed his eyes. "We can't think like that. They're both going to school, we respond to their emails and texts . AJ has everything he could ever want or need. I don't think it could get any better."

"But to a birth mom, having and parenting your baby would be better." She added sadly.

"Let's cut the party short, we'll go and pick him up and we'll head back to the house and go from there." John suggested.

Melody nodded, "Two drinks. I'll quickly network and thank Adele one more time for the amazing opportunity and then we'll go."

And that was exactly what they did. After an hour, they called it a night and headed to Meat's to pick up AJ."

When they got to Meat's, him and Pearl were up playing cards and AJ was just starting to wake up. John apologized to Meat for outing Jimmy. Then they all hung out until Melody had AJ fed, burped and changed. Then they left to go back to John's house.

The next morning Melody text Trinity. John and Melody had talked about it and had decided to fly Trinity and Mike out to California. It was where John and Melody's relationship first began.

As they got settled, Melody couldn't help but worry. Their little family had been through so much already, and this last month had been exactly what they needed. John and Melody were closer than ever. But what would life be like without AJ in it?

John kept his poker face on and was only optimistic around Melody. He didn't want to worry her any more than she was already. And by the time Trinity and Mike arrived, he would be at Raw. Melody was going to have to handle their visit all on her own.

They went and bought groceries and baby stuff so the California house was ready for visits…but not too much baby stuff yet…just in case they decided to parent AJ.

That night John spent as much time as he could with his son. He bathed him, fed him, changed him and rocked him to sleep. They took turns getting up that night and it was all appreciated more.

John's flight was scheduled to depart before Trinity and Mike were due to land so the next morning they ate breakfast and Melody took some pics of John and AJ together. Then they took a few pics of all of them together.

John decided he would take a cab to the airport. The cab pulled into the driveway and John held Melody close. "I love you. Stay strong, stay positive, and keep me posted. I love you."

Melody kissed him back sweetly, "I will. I love you too."

Then John picked up AJ and kissed him, "I love you so much son. And I'll always love you, no matter what happens." Then he handed AJ back to Melody and kissed her again then headed out.

Once the cab pulled away, Melody tried to busy herself. A couple hours later, a cab pulled into the driveway. Trinity and Mike got out of the cab and walked towards the house.

Mike looked at Trinity, "_Are you ready for this?"_ He signed.

Trinity nodded, "_Yeah, I think so_."

***Well, what do you guys think? Will AJ stay with John and Melody? Or are Trinity and Mike here to take AJ with them? THANK YOU for reading! Please review!***


	58. Chapter 58

**I'm SO sorry it's been almost 4 months since my last update. Life was crazy and then the holidays rolled around. Ugh! But, I am back with updates. I also have two new stories in the works, so I will be concluding the ones that are ready for a proper ending. THANK YOU for being there and being so loyal.**

Melody opened the door and greeted Trinity and Mike with a smile. She was hoping they wouldn't see her nervousness. "_Hi!"_ She signed.

Trinity greeted Melody with a big hug. Finally they broke apart and Trinity wiped her tears, _"It's really nice of you guys to fly us here." _

"_No problem. It was easier than making you wait till I drove all the way back." _Melody signed back.

"_It means a lot to us, thank you again."_ Mike signed.

"_Come in, I'll go and get AJ." _Melody replied as she opened the door all the way.

Trinity and Mike began to sign to each other about how nice the house was and how beautiful California was. Trinity confessed to her nervousness and Mike did his best to comfort her.

Melody walked down the stairs carrying AJ in a blue and white football blankie.

Trinity made eye contact with Melody. Her anxiousness was turning to fear. There was Melody with her baby boy…the baby boy she gave birth to and then walked away from.

Melody smiled reassuringly at her as she laid the baby into her arms.

Trinity looked into AJ's beautiful eyes and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "He's beautiful. Even more than the pictures showed." She said orally.

Mike sat closer and smiled as he looked at the baby. The baby that was his son. He could see the features that he had picked up from both of them. Trinity handed the baby to Mike and nodded her head. Holding him made Mike's head flood with emotions.

Trinity then turned her attention to Melody. She asked about AJ's schedule and how much he had grown and various little questions.

Then she took the baby back from Mike. Trinity leaned in and kissed the tip of his little nose. She sat down and adjusted the baby so she could sign. "This has been the hardest thing we've ever done." She began to say orally as she attempted to sign one-handed. _"I have good days and bad days. Some days I cry so much that I can't get out of bed. Other days I'm doing ok and I'm confident that AJ is better off here and others I wonder if I made the right choice." _

Melody looked sympathetic, but inside she was terrified. "_I can't even try to pretend I understand what you're going through."_ She signed.

Mike looked at Trinity. He reached over and patted Trinity on the knee. He had stayed right by Trinity's side through all of this. The highs and lows had been very tumultuous.

"_I appreciate the pics and updates you've been sending us. They've been great. But none of it compares to seeing this little guy up close and personal."_ Trinity continued. "_I'll be honest, I thought about parenting him. Raising him as ours and trying to juggle working and school and maintain our relationship. But, seeing you with AJ really helps to confirm our decision was the best. Looking at your family with AJ, it really makes us happy." _

Mike nodded when Melody looked over at him. _"We mean it. We really loved seeing the family pictures you sent, and you've been so great. It is what we wanted for AJ. So we came here for closure. Thank you for being here."_

Melody hugged both of them and excused herself to the bathroom. She quickly sent John a text that everything was going to be ok. Then she said a quick prayer of thanks and sent her Dad a text that she would call him later.

When Melody returned, the three of them spent the rest of the day just hanging out and enjoying the time together. By the time Trinity and Mike left, Melody had missed seven text messages from her Dad…and NONE of them were happy.

**PLEASE read and review! End of the story is nearing! Thanks again!**


	59. Final Chapter

**THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your reviews are great! This is the final chapter! John and Melody's lives are finally on the right track. This has been a wonderful experience. Please read and review!**

Dealing with Jimmy was never an easy task…dealing with a very pissed off Jimmy was a hundred thousand times worse. He would get to the point where you couldn't even talk to him, so Melody knew just to let him cool off and then she'd try to talk.

Finally, after a week and a half worth of very angry text messages, Jimmy called John directly and reamed him a new one. Then he called Melody and resumed life.

Melody and AJ had returned to the Minnesota house where she and John had begun to build their new life. John joined them and finished out his month off of the road there.

John came downstairs and found Melody sitting at her laptop with her hair in a very messy bun. "Babe? Whatcha doing?"

Melody looked up, "Well, AJ had a long night and I knew that you had to fly out today so I wanted you well rested so I brought him down here and spent most of the night with him."

John kissed her on the forehead, "I'm sorry honey. You don't have to do that, I want to help no matter what I have going on the next day."

Melody nodded, "Well, besides that…I was in the process of possibly getting a job."

"A job? That's great! With who?"

"At the Grammy's I was introduced to P!nk by Adele. She thought we would bond over the babies. And she took one of my audition tapes. She emailed me and would like to see first-hand what I could bring to her show."

John looked surprised, "Wow! That's great honey! When do you have to go? Do you want me to bring AJ with me?"

Melody laughed and shook his head, "That won't be necessary; she made an open invite for him to accompany me. Besides, you're going to be very busy with this being your return and all."

"Yeah, it's a busy week for me. But never too busy for baby." John poured himself a cup of coffee and refilled Melody's. "I'm excited for you honey. But, I thought I'd talk to you about something."

"What's up?"

"I know we've briefly discussed this, and we kind of dropped it, but I thought I'd bring it up again. You know, you don't have to work if you don't want to. I am more than capable of supporting our family and that way you can work with AJ all you want and be able to coordinate everything he needs." John explained.

Melody nodded and sighed, "I know. I just…I don't want you to think that I'm just going to sit back and do nothing."

John laughed and squeezed her hand, "Babe, raising our family is far from doing nothing. If anything, I'd love to have you home. You guys could travel with me when you wanted and hang out here when you want. It would be a really nice change of pace for you."

"I'll think about it. That does sound really nice. It would be great to have the flexibility. I promise, I'll think about it." Melody replied giving him a sweet kiss.

AJ began to cry again and Melody hung her head, "He's up again."

John got up, "Go lay down; I've got him for now. I don't have to leave for a few hours."

"You're the best love." And Melody quickly disappeared to the bedroom.

John got AJ up and changed him and fed him and played with him. It was SO wonderful to know that there was nothing to worry about and their family was all set. Now he just needed to convince Melody that instead of burning her candle at both ends, she could take the time to relax and just focus on one thing at a time.

Two hours later Melody came downstairs and sat down on the couch where John was playing with AJ. "I've been doing some thinking and soul-searching. And I've decided that you are right. Our family needs to come first and now that we've reconnected and we have found our niche, now is not the time to drop the ball."

John leaned over and kissed her happily, "Baby that's wonderful. I will support you no matter what you decide."

"I know, and in the past I've totally overreacted to the mere suggestion, but now I see that it's what would be wonderful for us and I can't wait to see our family blossom."

AJ let out a few cute noises and they all laughed. "I have to load the car and have you bring me to the airport soon."

"Sounds good, I'll start getting little man ready." Melody said as she took the baby from John and headed off to get the baby in his car seat.

At the airport, it was a really great feeling. John was headed to work, and Melody and AJ would be at home getting everything squared away. John and Melody had been through a lot in their relationship but the arrival of AJ in their lives was definitely what they needed to show them that their love was truly something remarkable and something that only happens once in a lifetime.

Melody and John kissed goodbye and John hugged and kissed the baby. Then he headed off to his flight.

THE END!

***PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I'm working on Find My Way Back with KinleyOrton and I have a couple other stories that I'm working on. Let me know if you have a preference, John Cena with Victoria Justice (the girl from Victorious on Nickelodeon and yes she's 20.) or a Catfish style story with either Randy or John and some girl they met online that blossoms into an online relationship. THANK YOU!***


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